The Inheritance of Man (Old)
by DanishCookie
Summary: 2253: The Galaxy is embroiled in a tumultuous war, pitting the Citadel against the Krogan and the Batarians. All hope seems lost for the Council, as they lose more and more territory to their enemies. Yet, everything may change with the discovery of a new race; a light in the dark for the Citadel Council. That is, if the humans choose to help in the first place. Massively AU.
1. Chapter 1: Prelude, Part 1

Space.

That eternal void, beautiful to those who gazed at it from the surface of a planet, mysterious to ancient civilizations whose scholars wondered about its implications, and infinite to those few races that traversed its expanse.

Peaceful, quiet, and cold. The definition of a place in which life could not exist, yet the void begat life itself.

Captain Hadrianus Varilin, of the PFS _Victrix_ , could not help but wonder, as the ancient warrior-scholars of Palaven did, as he gazed out the viewport of his vessel. The turian saw nothing but stars, and as his subordinates moved with a panicked yet disciplined energy behind him, Hadrianus pondered, and not for the first time, if the void would be his grave.

He gave a low sigh, with the distinct flange natural to his race, as he turned towards the _Victrix_ 's Sensor Operator.

"Baris, did they follow us?"

The turian in question, a young ensign no more than twenty-four years of age, hesitated for a moment as his eyes swept across the data in front of him. Having found his query, Baris muttered a low curse.

"Aye, Captain. I'm reading fifteen ships behind us. Looks like they followed us."

Hadrianus Varilin closed his eyes and hung his head. "How could they have? We made a blind jump!"

Another voice spoke from his left—Lieutenant Varius Aurelius, his navigator. "The Batarians are nothing if not crafty and devious, Captain. They must have tracked our jump, no way could they have followed us otherwise."

So this was it. The _Victrix_ and its crew were utterly doomed, destined to die alone in the endless peace of space. Hounded by batarian vessels, with an FTL drive that was near death, due to their multiple previous jumps, and no way to possibly emerge victorious from any sort of brave last stand, as the aged Turian frigate would never be able to defeat fifteen batarian frigates and cruisers unless luck decided that the Spirits would come to his rescue this day.

Luck had never been on Varilin's side, anyways.

In most scenarios, Hadrianus Varilin would never choose to flee or run away—no, the Turian captain much preferred to stand his ground, despite all adversity. Unfortunately, that was out of the question this time. It was the simple matter that he held intelligence from an isolated cell of Salarian STG that would be vital to the war effort, against the Krogan and the Batarians—it was of the utmost importance that the intelligence dead-drop was relayed back to the Citadel, and the Turian Hierarchy, and, against all of his wishes, fleeing was the only viable option.

"I guess, then, that this is it. In any case…it was an honor serving with you all." It was with this statement that he addressed the rest of the bridge crew. Yet, all of the Turians in the room simply went on with their work—they had all accepted their fates.

Baris, however, noticed something on the scanners—a source of intense gravitational energy, stronger than general physics would deem normal or safe, and yet, it was familiar. The Turian navigator simply gave a light smile, before clearing his throat.

"Captain! I don't think the spirits are letting us die today!"

Hadrianus opened his eyes in shock, before snapping his vision back to Baris' screen. His eyes widened, before retaining the discipline natural of Turian militarism.

"Is this what I think it is, Ensign?"

"Aye, Captain. Seems there's a relay here, in the system. Curiously enough, it seems like it's already operational—even though this system has never been charted before."

Hadrianus simply looked back towards the bridge behind him, before addressing his navigator, Aurelius. "Helm! I want a full burn towards that relay, now! The Spirits have given us one last chance at escape, and by my father's honor we are not going to let this chance slip by!" The _Victrix_ 's Helmsman acknowledged the order, before setting the ship on a fast course towards the relay. The Turian captain smiled, but he knew that they were not completely in the clear yet.

Taking a blind jump through the relay would give the crew of the _Victrix_ the best chance of survival. It was likely that this relay would have several partner relays, and if the turians chose one at random, it gave them a chance to escape the batarians, at least for a time. As long as the batarians did not choose the same partner relay to jump towards, then the _Victrix_ would be given a sizeable frame of time to make repairs and escape back to Citadel space. If they did, however, choose the same relay on a whim, then…well, Hadrianus would simply cross that bridge when, no, if he got there.

There was also, however, the possibility that jumping through the relay would send the Turian vessel into rather undesirable sections of the galaxy. Another rachni incident, perhaps, or something worse—Hadrianus shuddered to think that there could be something worse out there than the dreaded rachni.

But the possible pros outweighed any possible cons—the ongoing war was their priority, and the intelligence the _Victrix_ carried was vital—it could even tip the war in the Citadel's favor. Hadrianus had no idea what the intel could even contain, and he was afraid to ask the Salarians who had given it to him—who knew what twisted experiments the STG performed across the galaxy?

"How long until we reach the relay, Sarus?"

The helmsman, Coreena Sarus, briefly looked back at her captain before returning her focus to her screens. "At this speed, a few more seconds, Captain. I'm putting all I can into those reactors." Hadrianus simply nodded, before turning back to the bridge.

"Communications, send a ship-wide message—prepare for a relay jump."

"Aye, Captain."

With his orders relayed, Hadrianus simply looked out the viewport, watching as the relay rapidly grew in size. The batarian vessels were a ways behind the _Victrix_ —they would make it, definitely. Their chances of survival, however, were not so certain.

If the Spirits bestowed luck on Hadrianus this one time, then he swore, by his ancestors, that he would remain a pious turian for life. The aged turian closed his eyes as the relay grew closer, and as the Prothean relic splayed out a long tendril of cerulean energy towards the frigate, he sent one last prayer to the Spirits.

 _Guide our souls, Spirits._

* * *

Captain Hans "Dash" Shepard of the RNS _Crusader_ walked into the bustling bridge of the Hastings-Class heavy cruiser, a cup of coffee in his hand. The resident marine commanding officer on the _Crusader_ , Colonel Vanessa Capet, had guaranteed the quality of the latest shipment of coffee beans to arrive in the recent batch of rations, a brand of "Firefox Dark Roast." Apparently. the coffee was from one of the United Earth Republic's breadbaskets, Firefox.

A curious name, perhaps, but who was he to judge the name of a colony? Hans frequently had trouble when it came to naming things—his wife would testify as such, as the middle-aged Navy Captain had failed to come up with "original" names for his two children. Poor John and Jane.

His wife had named his ship, having grown tired of his lack of nominal creativity.

Pushing such thoughts out of his mind, the stood in his usual position in the bridge, taking a sip of his coffee as he did so. Clearing his throat, Captain Shepard looked towards his Sensor Operator.

"Lieutenant , what's the status of the alien device?"

As he questioned Salvador, Hans Shepard looked out the small forward viewport at said device. It looked much like a tuning fork, with a pulsating sphere of blue energy concentrated in the middle. The object in question had raised a plethora of alarms when a UER science team had uncovered the device. Elements of the military had been scrambled immediately to reinforce the nearby colony, Antioch. After a long period of observation, a few UER scientists had discovered that the device required activation. The UER was, at first, incredibly wary of the fact that the device, nicknamed the "Tuning Fork," required activation, but recently, orders had come from the brass to allow the resident science team to access the Tuning Fork—of course, they were to be guarded by a notable UER naval presence. As such, the brass had seen fit to detach Battlegroup Autumn, a grouping of 14 vessels of various size and firepower. Hans Shepard just happened to be the Commanding Officer of Battlegroup Autumn.

Hans had originally inferred that this posting was a punishment, possibly redirected by the feared Office of Republic Intelligence, or ORI for short—heavens knew he had made quite a few enemies within his superiors, due to his tendency to make decisions that toed the line of traditional UER discipline and military doctrine—a statement that was, in and of itself, a minor underestimation of Hans' habits.

However, the senior Shepard of his family realized the true statement of his posting to the Tuning Fork—this was, quite obviously, an alien device, and thus proclaimed with loud bellows and bravado that _humanity was not alone in the galaxy_. A notion that, ultimately, rose fear—no, apprehension, within the UER's leadership. Thus, the leaders of the UER, most notably the Elected Council, knew that they would need a mind with creativity (barring Hans' lack of creativity in the naming department) and a large resource of strategic and tactical ability, and not just some ordinary run-of-the-mill "Loyalty Until Death!" officer who ran everything "by the book" and kissed ass to attempt to gain rank, and ultimately fail and be demoted to Girl Scout, because _the United Earth Republic does not accept nor condone corruption by any means,_ and _bribery is a pathway to "re-education."_

But, again, Hans Shepard had gone off on a mental tangent. Joy.

Lieutenant Jose Salvador looked back at his Captain, before turning back to his readings. "The device seems to be stable, Captain. No odd frequencies, no unusual readings besides the enormous gravitational bullshit—nothing's even happened in the last day since the science team activated the relay."

Hans nodded, before looking down at his wristwatch— _1560 Hours, Earth._ His family would have finished lunch by now, and would be awaiting his bi-weekly video-call in an hour or so. Jane would likely be at the Veteran's Memorial in Vancouver for another half-hour on her daily visit at the Joint Naval Officer's Commission, and John would likely be at home with his mother, on leave from his schooling, since, after all, it was Summer Break for grade-school students back on Earth.

"Excellent, Lieutenant. Communications, get me Doctor Prateesh."

Within a few seconds, a screen popped up in front of Hans, revealing the olive-toned face of Doctor Mirriam Prateesh, the resident leader of the science team, aboard the RNS _Affinity_.

"Yes, Captain? You called?"

Hans took a moment to clear his throat, before addressing the woman. "Yes, Doctor. It seems that the device is still stable, besides everything that came with the activation. Anything unusual on your end?"

The Doctor's eyes brightened, and it seemed she was immediately filled with glee and excitement. "Yes, yes, yes, Captain Shepard! Some of us discovered some incredible things in relation to the device! Absolutely incredible, I just cannot wait to present it to the annual Science Coalition! Oh, this is just fantastic, the boundless possibilities of such a substance, the presence of another form of…oh this is just great!"

Hans frowned slightly before waiting for the Doctor to finish. "Doctor, please, I honestly don't care about your scientist get-together, or your chemical fantasies. Just tell me what you found."

Doctor Prateesh in turn glared at Hans, before looking down at a datapad. "Indeed, Captain. We've found two major things—one, the presence of a material unlike any other—massless, yet truly unique in its properties—and two, the fact that this device is, in reality, another method of Faster than Light Travel!"

Hans was confused—his brain was not meant for scientific matters—"Doctor Prateesh, what do you mean by another method of FTL?"

"Well, Captain, it seems that this relay is not the only of its kind—there are likely many more, and it seems this one has another "partnered" to it—that means that, if one were to somehow activate something within the device, you could theoretically "jump" between the two devices—a 'relay,' you could call it."

Hans took a moment to absorb the information, before nodding—at least the woman had explained it in layman's terms. Thankfully.

"Thank you, Doctor. Continue your investigations, Battlegroup Autumn will remain on standby."

The doctor nodded, opening her mouth to vocalize her farewells, when suddenly, a man cried out from the background.

"Doctor Prateesh! The alien device, it's activating, something's happening!"

Hans Shepard stared for a second, before realizing that something had to have activated the "relay" from the other side—something was coming through! "Doctor Prateesh, get your vessel out of the way, and retreat behind Autumn, we'll deal with this." The captain only waited for the doctor's brief acknowledgement before his communications officer shut off the vid-call.

"Communications, get me a line to the rest of the Battlegroup, now!" Hans waited a moment for the connection to be established before addressing the rest of the battlegroup. "Autumn, defensive formation, form a perimeter around our side of the alien device!" The various vessels acknowledged the command before moving into formation.

Within seconds, the rings held within the "relay" started to rotate faster and faster, before a blue ray of light zoomed into the space next to the relay.

"Captain, vessel inbound, came from the relay! Corvette sized, not much more information. It doesn't match with any known signatures or designs!"

"Look at this, Rickson, the ship's giving off huge gravity readings, way too much for a ship its size!"

"Captain, it looks damaged—seems to be running on fumes. Looks to be hits from a ship's main cannon."

The _Crusader_ 's bridge erupted into noise and cacophony, while Hans simply stared ahead at the ship in front of them.

 _Aliens? Now? It was already confirmed when we found the relay, but First Contact? And I'm at the forefront of it? What next, John forms a galactic coalition?_

Indeed, this event was momentous, but, Hans had to tend to matters at hand first, and that seemed to be crushing the chaos the bridge had become. With a yell, the crewmen of the _Crusader_ 's bridge quieted down immediately, all at attention for their captain's next words.

"All hands to battle stations, relay the order throughout the battlegroup! Tactical, get me firing solutions on that vessel immediately, and raise shields! Communications, get me a line to that ship if possible, but stay alert. Sensors, analyze the vessel as much as possible, and relay the information to me. Someone, contact Colonel Capet and get her marine detachment armed and ready for any possible threats!"

The bridge was, at once, moving with activity, as the crewmen went to fulfill their orders. The various ships throughout the rest of Battlegroup Autumn did the same, angling themselves so that their main spinal cannons were aimed the corvette-sized alien vessel. In turn, the unknown ship stopped all movement, looking very much like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Captain, I've contacted the vessel! Patching you in now."

Captain Hans Shepard waited a moment, before his communications officer gave him the all clear. Clearing his throat, Hans looked straight ahead at the ship through the viewport.

"Attention, unknown vessel. You have encroached upon sovereign territory belonging to the United Earth Republic. Halt immediately, and disengage any and all weapons systems. Failure to comply, and we will fire upon you!"

It seemed harsh and isolationist, but thus was the UER's current First Contact policies—threats before diplomacy, and diplomacy before engagement.

 _And now, we wait for an answer…_

* * *

Captain, we're reaching our destination, orders?"

Captain Hadrianus Varilin gazed out of the viewport, at the steady blue light that signaled the traverse across space. It had been a mere five minutes, yet the crew of the _Victrix_ had traveled countless light years, and now they were reaching a place far off that no sentient being within the Council had ever gone before.

He didn't know whether to fear the unknown, or embrace it.

"Tactical, ready our weapons systems for any possible hostiles. Sensors, work to scan the area as soon as we're out of FTL. Let's just pray to the Spirits that they look down on us this day."

A few more seconds passed, when the _Victrix_ suddenly lurched, and the blue light streaming outside of the viewport seemed to slow. Then, it all but disappeared, revealing the newly discovered space in front of them.

As well as a collection of unknown vessels.

Including those that were Dreadnought sized.

Immediately, the bridge's crew went silent as they stared straight ahead at the completely alien ships in front of them. They were arrayed in a defensive pattern, seemingly training their guns on the _Victrix_. The first thoughts that went through Hadrianus Varilin's mind were _hostile_ and _deadly._

The various vessels were utilitarian in design, with sharp angled edges and weapons and defensive measures set all over their hulls, without any care for aesthetics. And right now, those guns were pointed straight at Varilin's ship.

Suddenly, the _Victrix_ 's communications officer jumped at a light that appeared at his console. "Captain, it seems the unknowns are hailing us!"

"Patch us through, Ensign." If these aliens wished to communicate, then by his ancestors, Varilin would not risk angering them, even if the hail was destined to be a simple word before they annihilated the Turian military frigate.

After a second, the communications officer nodded, before a voice came through.

"Attention, unknown vessel. You have encroached upon sovereign territory belonging to the United Earth Republic. Halt immediately, and disengage any and all weapons systems. Failure to comply, and we will fire upon you!"

Varen tapped a few buttons on his console, before turning back to Varilin.

"Captain, we can't make sense of the language, but the VIs are working on attempting to translate it—I doubt they'll work however, it seems this is a completely new species we're dealing with."

Hadrianus Varilin took a moment to contemplate his choices. The aged Turian captain had no idea what these aliens were capable of, and he was hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned—there were at least fifteen of these alien vessels, some of which were over one kilometer long, and the _Victrix_ was only a single frigate, wounded and weary. He knew what he had to do, and Varilin would hope that all would turn out well.

"Power down our weapons, but keep our shields up. We need to look passive, and our guns aren't helping in that matter. Comms, raise the ship that hailed us, and send a first contact package."

The respective officers gave their acknowledgements, and Varilin resigned himself to sitting back and praying that these aliens would not destroy the _Victrix_. Ancestors knew the Council didn't need more enemies.

It had only been a few minutes, but they had felt like an eternity, as the _Victrix_ sat on the precipice of life and death. There had been no response from the alien vessels—Spirits knew what they were doing. Varilin had been pacing back and forth, trying to calm his nerves, and he could tell his crew were just as anxious.

Suddenly, Ensign Baris jumped in his seat, before turning to Hadrianus. "Captain! The relay's firing up, someone's coming through!"

Captain Hadrianus Varilin immediately felt grim—the batarians had managed to find the _Victrix_. By the second, the situation was deteriorating. Now, Varilin's ship was caught between a flotilla of aliens whose motives were completely unknown, and a wolf pack of batarians who wished or nothing but to blow apart the _Victrix_ and recover the vital intel that the turian vessel was carrying.

And, once again, Varilin was caught in a dilemma. He had to power the _Victrix_ 's weapons, to defend itself from the incoming batarians, but it was likely the unknowns would take that action as hostile, and act accordingly.

Within seconds, Varilin was spared the choice, when the batarian vessels appeared en masse. Sixteen ships of various design and make, yet all had the same hallmarks of batarian creation—vicious, aggressive, and deadly. On the other hand, the alien vessels had started moving, in aggressive patterns, and were obviously taken aback by the new arrivals.

' _Spirits have mercy,_ ' Varilin thought. ' _That this day turn out this horrible.'_

* * *

Captain Hans Shepard had only waited a few moments, before the alien vessel's gravity signatures seemed to power down a bit. The ship then took what he assumed to be a passive stance, before halting all movement. A few seconds later, his communications officer took note that the ship was hailing the _Crusader_ , and a video, of sorts, appeared on the Captain's tactical interface.

A series of scenes played, where Hans could evidently see what he assumed to be the alien species. Rough, avian, with mandibles and crests. More and more scenes played out, obviously meant to be diplomatic and neutral—but, most likely, sent to unknowns in the most extreme of circumstances. It wasn't long before an ensign remarked on it.

"Captain, it seems to be a first contact package. Species, homeworld of origin, all of the characteristics of a diplomatic package."

"I agree, ensign. Analyze it, take in as much as you can. In the mean time, keep watch on that ship. Communications, contact Antioch Command, and get them to relay a message to HIGHCOM—First Contact imminent, Battlegroup Autumn has no First Contact Packages ready."

Antioch Command were the colonial officials in charge of the recently founded colony of Antioch, in the Ajax System. It was the nearest colony, and the only colony in the system Battlegroup Autumn and the Tuning Fork were currently in. In effect, the United Earth Republic's Colonial Administration had deemed the planet worthy of a military colony, and, in the future, Antioch would be built up to become an indomitable fortress and eventual staging ground for the UER for future military and colonial developments.

Though civilian presence on the colony was low, there was already a marine Expeditionary Division planetside, awaiting reinforcements from a detachment of the UER Army. Furthermore, another Defensive Fleet was on its way to the Ajax System, as Battlegroup Autumn was only a temporary presence, in light of the Tuning Fork found at the system's fringe. If these aliens brought reinforcements, Antioch would be well defended, and already had a stable supply of reinforcements on the way. Thus, Captain Shepard was not worried about the colony itself—it could defend itself.

Hans only hoped that it would not come to arms with these aliens—he did not wish for an interspecies war between humanity and this alien species. However, if this situation did crumble, then Hans would be forced to destroy any opposition to the UER.

For the Republic, as they all said.

"For now, we wait, and pray that these aliens don't bring reinforcements and attack."

However, Hans' prayers would be shot out of the air, when the relay began sparking again—the rings that protected the blue energy started to rotate, faster and faster, until there was a flash.

Sixteen vessels appeared out of thin air, and Hans' hopes were dashed—the aliens had brought reinforcements, enough to match his own Battlegroup Autumn.

The ships were generally smaller, ranging from Corvette sized to Heavy Frigate sized, but they were ships nonetheless. Hans could only hope that they would not become aggressive.

"All ships, move in slowly, secure firing solutions on the new arrivals, and hold position in range. Do not attack yet, I repeat do **not** attack yet!"

As per Hans' command, the various ships of Battlegroup Autumn moved in, all the while tracking the movements of the new arrivals. The first ship has still done nothing—its weapons were not powering up, and it had held position, in a seemingly neutral way.

' _Weird, the first vessel isn't doing anything…'_

Then, Lieutenant Salvador cried out from his position, "Captain! I've analyzed the first vessel and the new arrivals—they don't seem to be of the same make. Captain, it's likely the first vessel was running away from these new ones, which explains the damage the first one bears!"

Before Hans could reply, one of the new arrivals fired upon the first alien vessel, and its shot seemed to ricochet off of a shield of some sort. However, before Hans could respond, the rest of the alien ships fired upon Battlegroup Autumn, with a large portion of the shots heading towards the _Crusader._

"Helm, take evasive maneuvers, Tactical, ready the main guns. Brace for impact!"

Out of the fifteen shots fired by the alien vessels, four of them hit the _Crusader_. However, the majority of the damage was mitigated by the vessels' energy shields.

"Status report!"

A Lieutenant to Hans' left cried out after a second. "Shields are down to 67%, Captain! Superficial damage to our hull, nothing else reported. The rest of the Battlegroup are reporting the same, minor damage to shields."

Hans brought up his tactical interface, revealing his ship in relation to his Battlegroup and the enemy. Fifteen against sixteen, and it seemed the enemy's guns did moderate damage to the UER vessels. "Comms, orders to the rest of the Battlegroup, fire at will! Tactical, get me a firing solution on the largest ship, the Heavy Frigate analogue!"

"Medium Magnetic Cannons 1 and 2 are at 100% charge, Captain! Cannon 3 is at 56% and rising!"

Hans took a moment to glance at the target, before shouting. "Fire!"

Two of the Hastings-Class Heavy Cruiser's three main guns fired at the hostile ships, and the rest of Battlegroup Autumn followed suit. Hans watched as the ship the _Crusader_ targeted was rocked from the blows, bounced slightly off course. The batarian vessels responded in turn, firing away at the UER vessels.

Captain Hans Shepard did not notice as the turian vessel slipped away in the confusion through the relay, hoping to complete its mission. He only focused on the battle at hand, which was going surprisingly well.

"Fire Raven missile pods 4-8! What's the status of our shields?" Hans bellowed out his orders, eyes glaring into the tactical interface.

"Shields are at 42%, Captain! Missiles are away, pods 4-8 are reloading and cannons 1 and 3 are at 78% and charing!"

A stream of missiles were fired by the _Crusader_ , heading towards the largest of the alien vessels. The missiles impacted upon the vessel, and its shields seemed to fail.

"Tactical, fire cannons 1 and 3 when ready! Helm, bring us 30 degrees to port!"

The _Crusaders_ 's cannons bellowed out two large 275 ton slugs at the crippled alien vessel, and the rounds left large, burning holes where they impacted. A few seconds later, the alien ship's reactors detonated, causing a large, fiery explosion in space where it once was.

In response, several of the remaining alien ships fired upon a nearby Gladius-Class frigate, and the UER vessel was spun around, the impacts too much for it shields to handle.

"Captain! The RNS _Parade_ has reported depleted shields! They're losing attitude control, and they've got multiple fires on deck!"

"Get them to back off and retreat, they're out of this fight for now!"

"Too late!" Shepard's Sensor Operator cried out. "Hostiles are firing another salvo! The _Parade_ is dead in the water! Their main gun is offline, missiles are inoperable, and their torpedo bay is letting off radiation!"

Before Hans could aid the _Parade,_ the UER ship seemed to crack down the center, and the ship split into two. The communications link to the RNS _Parade_ went offline—they were dead.

' _Damnit,'_ Hans thought. ' _Good men and women of the UER are dead. These aliens will pay dearly for this…_ '

Regaining his composure, Hans looked back to the tactical interface. "Tactical, status on our weapons?"

"All three cannons are at 84% and rising, Captain," the _Crusader_ 's Tactical Officer responded. "Shields are at 37%, missiles are loaded in all bays, and our torpedo pod is ready to fire."

"Good," Hans replied. "Fire all three magnetic cannons, and fire missiles in pods 1-6! I want to see those aliens burn."

These aliens had infuriated Hans—the normally calm and collected captain had lost good men and women under his command, to a band of murderous aliens, who hadn't even attempted diplomatic ventures. The RNS _Parade_ 's commander, one Paul Tanaka, had been a good friend of Hans', and now he was dead.

The battle continued for a little while longer, until the aliens seemed to turn tail and retreat back towards the relay.

"Captain! The aliens are retreating, seems they've had enough of us!"

Hans smiled, as he saw the alien vessels disappear via the relay, before turning back to the bridge. "Status report!"

"Shields are at 14% and recharging, Captain! Superficial damage to the hull, and the crew has sustained minor injuries."

"Excellent. What's the status on the rest of the battlegroup?"

Hans' Communications Officer came to the call. "Battlegroup Autumn has sustained minor losses, and most of the vessels have taken minor damage throughout. However, the RNS _Parade_ is lost with all hands, and the RNS _Judicator_ and RNS _Wayfarer_ are dead in the water—they'll need extensive repairs."

Hans looked down, closing his eyes in a silent prayer for the lost. After a moment, he reopened them, with a burning look. "How many of them did we take down?"

"Seems we took the aliens by surprise, Captain. They lost ten of their sixteen vessels, more than half their number, while most others took moderate damage. I don't think they were expecting us to be in this system in the first place, most of their shields went down pretty easily." Lieutenant Salvador, the Sensor Operator, gave a sigh. "Their shields must not have been fully charged when they engaged us. I don't think any future engagements will be as bloodless on our end."

Captain Hans Shepard took a seat, putting his head in his hands. "Get the Battlegroup back to Antioch after all survivors are found, we'll leave the aliens to rot. Comms, relay a message to HIGHCOM, hostile engagement with a third party of unknowns, need immediate reinforcement." Hans looked back up, gazing into space through the viewport.

"I think we've got a war on our hands."

 **CODEX:**

 **Heavy Cruiser: The infantry equivalent of the RAF Navy.**

 **Hastings-Class Heavy Cruiser: 1,100 meters long, 310 meters wide.**

Ship of the Line: RNS _Hastings_

Specialty: **Mainstay Heavy Cruiser** , Medium Fire Support

Armaments:

 **Main Guns:** 3 Spinal Mounted Medium Magnetic Cannons

 **Broadsides:** 200 LGCs

 **Missiles:** 12 Raven Missile Pods—5 each side, 2 front. 60 missiles each.

 **Torpedoes:** 1 Fracture Torpedo Pod—1 front. 4 torpedoes.

 **Point Defense:** 200 60mm Gauss Gatling Rifles

 **Orbital Bombardment:** 2 OB Mini Magnetic Cannons

 **Shielding:** 15,000 kilotons

85 Spacecraft

1,950 Marines

 **Frigate: Most common type of ship in the RAF Navy. Escorts, screening.**

 **Gladius-Class Frigate: 520 meters long, 155 meters wide.**

Ship of the Line: RNS _Gladius_

Specialty: **Mainstay Frigate** , Light Escort

Armaments:

 **Main Guns:** 1 Spinal Mounted Light Magnetic Cannon

 **Broadsides:** 30 LGCs

 **Missiles:** 6 Orion Missile Pods—3 on each side. 150 missiles each.

 **Torpedoes:** 1 Fracture Torpedo Pod—1 on front. 3 torpedoes.

 **Point Defense:** 45 60mm Gauss Gatling Rifles

 **Orbital Bombardment:** 1 OB Mini Magnetic Cannon

 **Shielding:** 750 kilotons

25 Spacecraft

500 Marines

 **Magnetic Cannon: Used as ship-board weapons for ship-to-ship combat or orbital bombardment, this is the mainstay of the UER/RAF navy weapon systems. Powered by Rivers-Gauss/Coilgun mechanisms, they fire large slugs at low (compared to Citadel Race) speeds for high yield.**

Heavy Magnetic Cannon—Fires a 5 ton slug at 450 km/s for 95.602 kilotons of TNT. Primary ship-board spinal-mounted weapon. Fires every 5 seconds.

Medium Magnetic Cannon—Fires a 5 ton slug at 325 km/s for 63.112 kilotons of TNT. Ship-board spinal-mounted weapon. Fires every 5 seconds.

Light Magnetic Cannon—Fires a 5 ton slug at 275 km/s for 45.187 kilotons of TNT. Ship-board spinal-mounted weapon. Fires every 5 seconds.

Medium Gauss Cannon—Fires a 2.5 ton slug at 300 km/s for 26.888 kilotons of TNT. Limited to Corvettes. Fires every 6 seconds.

Light Gauss Cannon—Fires a 30 kg slug at 400 km/s for 0.574 kilotons of TNT. Used on some vessels as broadsides.

Mini Magnetic Cannon—Fires a 1 ton slug at 150 km/s for 2.6888 kilotons of TNT. Orbital Bombardment. Variable fire rate.

Swivel Magnetic Cannon—Fires a 5 ton slug at 100 km/s for 5.975 kilotons of TNT. Knife-fight MagCannon. Swivels on sides of ship.

 **Point Defense Weapons:**

Gauss Gatling Rifles: These point-defense weapons systems use the UER's traditional, beloved Gauss technology to fire 40mm through 80mm projectiles at insanely fast speeds. They are excellent in point defense, and can shred through light, and sometimes even medium, armor quickly. Best used against missiles, fighters, lighter classes, or wounded ships in knife-fighting range.

 **Missile Systems:**

 **Missiles:**

Raven Missiles: These missiles are the bigger of the two missile systems, and are much more powerful. They are fired in clumps, and are kept in moderate amounts in pods. They are quick, agile, and extremely hard to dodge if one's point-defense systems are disabled or sabotaged.

Orion Missiles: These missiles are the smaller of the pair, and weaker, but their advantage is in numbers and speed—they are extremely fast, and are fired in large masses that regular point-defense systems can easily be overwhelmed by. However, they have no agility whatsoever, and can be dodged by a moderately skilled helmsman at range. They are reserved for lighter ship classes.

 **Torpedoes:**

Fracture Torpedoes: The only type of torpedo used by the UER and RAF, these torpedoes are usually reserved for medium or heavy ship classes. However, they are devastating, incredibly so, and can easily gut a Citadel race cruiser, and even a Dreadnought with enough torpedoes. They are extremely fast, but cannot change direction once in flight, and can only be kept in short supply on ships—the RAF Navy is advised to use them in dire situations, or in ambushes or surprise attacks—not in the brunt of an engagement. Marked by bright red tracers.

 **Author's Note:**

So, this is my first Mass Effect based fanfiction, and I hope you all enjoyed it thoroughly. If there are any mistakes or corrections, either mechanical, technical, etc. please don't hesitate to tell me in a review.

This is the first chapter in a series of three that will premier this fanfiction. The next will be a timeline (urrrrghhh) and the last will, once more, be a narrative. Hope you enjoy.  
However, I do wish for a beta or two, for two main reasons. First, one of my weaknesses in writing is dialogue, and for it, any writing in and around dialogue suffers to differing degrees. If someone could help me with dialogue in this story, it would be greatly appreciated. Second, I do need a Beta for any military technicalities, like rankings, naval crew positions, weapons, etc. Again, if someone could help me out in this respect, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, and don't forget to review or follow.


	2. Chapter 2: Timeline

**Author's Note:**

Hey, guys. Welcome to the second chapter of the 3-part initial upload. This is the timeline of history, where we will learn the history and background of the United Earth Republic, the main human faction in this narrative. Enjoy.

Timeline of The United Earth Republic

2017—After simultaneous attempted terrorist attacks by ISIS on New York City, London, Paris, Berlin, and Toronto fail horribly, global attention on the Middle East group ISIS is intensified, and leaders from most NATO nations declare a full state of war on ISIS. Through 2017 to 2018, crippling strikes and assaults against ISIS in the Middle East destroy the terrorist group's capabilities, and by mid-2018, the entirety of ISIS is wiped out.

2020—The United States of America ushers in a new president, but sparks fly as accusations are quickly made that the elections were rigged. The new administration rapidly attempts to quells such claims, and begins to "fix the numerous issues that have plagued the American economic system since the beginning of the millennium." The incumbent candidate does not win a second term, despite immense public support.

2022—By this point, it is clear that the new administration, the "Pulmann Adminstration," is inept and deceiving. The Pulmann administration has done nothing but put the economy, which was once arguably in a decent position, in a hole. The condition is not serious, but it has caused another minor depression, similar to the one of 2008.

2022—Due to the immense damage caused by the various events throughout the Middle East since before the turn of the century, leaders in the war-stricken region meet in Saudi Arabia for talks of a Pan-Arabic alliance.

2023—In early 2023, the Crescent Union is formed between the nations of Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Syria, Yemen, and Egypt. Turkey and Cyprus were invited, but both declined invitations into the union, citing considerable alliances and positions within the UN and NATO. Israel was unsurprisingly left out of talks. Despite the dominant religion in the area and the connotations of the union's flag and symbols, the newly formed CU insists that it is not a religion-based union, and Shariah Law is not to be implemented under any circumstances.

2023—It is clear to the American public that the Pulmann administration has cheated its way into office, and after numerous investigations, Marshall Pulmann is impeached. However, the damage was done, and the American economy is slowly sinking into the ground. With the new administration, the economy is slowly and gradually fixed, but it is clear that there is a need for an immediate fix.

2023—The American economy's wounds have truly affected the rest of the world, especially that of the English speaking world. There are signs of a global economic crash approaching.

2023—In preparation for the oncoming global economic crash, all of the nations of South America, Central America, and Mexico, with the exception of Brazil, have entered into an agreement. It is titled the South American Federation, or SAF for short.

2024—The first mentions of a true alliance between countries such as the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, and other English speaking countries appear as minor notions.

2025—Surprisingly, ideas of an English-Speaking alliance come to fruition, and the leaders of the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland meet in Vienna, Austria, for talks of an English-Speaking Nations' Treaty of sorts. It is initially a set of improvements on the UKUSA agreements.

2025-2029—The various nations continue to contribute to debates and talks for four years, and after many agreements, disagreements, and other incidents, it is finally decided in 2029 that a full economic, military, and administrative union will be solidified between the UK, USA, Canada, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. The Alliance/Union is christened as the Anglic Treaty Organization, or ATO for short.

2029—The ATO achieves almost immediate success in economic and administrative matters, and the global economy, especially that of the English speaking world, is extremely quick to heal, and even advance. The disparate militaries of the ATO's members are gradually unified into one whole military, with each nation's military retaining their respective histories (especially those of the UK and USA).

2029—After brief talks between the ATO and the European Union, a full alliance is announced between the EU and ATO. This further solidifies the original NATO agreements of the Cold War.

2029-2034—The global economy is gradually improving, and back in what was the United States of America USA, outsourcing has been immensely reduced. There are thousands of more jobs in the American economy, and, by extension, the ATO economy, and the Anglic Treaty Organization enters into an economic golden age.

This understandably creates tension between the People's Republic of China and the ATO, and originally, the Chinese relied heavily on American consumerism and outsourcing for their economy. Thus, the Chinese economy weakens in strength.

2034—A battalion of Chinese PLA soldiers, under orders that are to this day disputed as either falsified or mixed up, advance into Russian territory in Siberia. The small incursion is responded to when Russian guards fire upon the PLA soldiers. What would have been a small, isolated border incident quickly erupts into a global crisis as the two nations point fingers and make accusations against one another.

2034—By this point, tensions are running extremely high between China and Russia, and war is apparently imminent between the two superpowers. Many nations throughout the world are hesitant to take sides, but some have chosen to support one another.

2034—While tensions are still extremely high between Russia and China, it is globally accepted that a full-scale war is unlikely—both countries simply have too much to lose. However, out of nowhere, a coup d'état occurs in the Russian Federation, when a prominent Russian general takes control of a little over half of the Russian military, including a large portion of the Spetsnaz, and rebels against the Russian Federation's government.

The new rebel government, calling themselves the Russian Defenders, quickly claims that they have no intentions of aggressively reforming the Russian Federation's government—they merely wished for a more aggressive stance against China, including war, claiming that the Chinese have pushed too aggressively into their various neighbors.

2034—The Russian Defenders, now formally titled as the Nationalistic Defense Party, have now gained support from the majority of the Russian military. On the other hand, civilian support is relatively low for the NDP. However, a civil war erupts between the NDP and the Russian Federation, and most external nations are hesitant to take sides.

2034—After four months of moderate civil war in Russia, the Chinese suddenly take the initiative, sending immense columns of military forces into Russia during the end of winter. The PLA very quickly take a portion of Siberia, but are immediately responded to by massive retaliation from the NDP. The NDP claims that the Chinese aggression is further proof of their stance.

2034—After months of intense fighting, the seasons near winter, and the Chinese quickly dig their heels into South-Eastern Siberia, fearing the Siberian Winter that crippled Napoleon and Hitler in the past. Supply lines are strengthened, and soldiers' morale are kept as high as possible, in the eyes of the Chinese government.

2035—By early 2035, the conflict between the NDP, Russian Federation, and People's Republic of China has erupted into a full-scale war, and all three sides are asking for aid from the outside world.

2036—After one year of intense, full-scale warfare between the NDP, China, and the Russian Federation, a Korean crisis sparks the introduction of the entire world into the Bi-Russo—Sino War. Two/Three years after the initial start of war, North Korea seeks to use global attention on the war to launch a surprise attack against South Korea. The North Korean leadership, led by Kim Jong Un (still an inept leader) was relying on Chinese aid, which was even at the time uncertain, launched a full-scale attack on South Korea on the 38th Parallel. By this point, under Kim Jong Un's leadership, the still vast NK military had degraded and stagnated to the point of being obsolete in the modern world. After an initial 2 days of minor South Korean losses (in total, 1 square mile lost), the South Koreans pushed back with immense force, utterly destroying the numerically larger North Korean force in all fields of war, albeit with moderate losses. By mid 2038, the North Koreans have lost Pyongyang, and have been nearly pushed into Chinese territory. The Chinese, though extremely frustrated with North Korea, find themselves with no options. The North Koreans put the Chinese into a spot where conflict with South Korea was inevitable, and thus, would bring the ATO into the war. After a month of intense discussion in the Chinese leadership, their hands were forced when North Korean forces retreated into China and Manchuria, into the hands of sympathetic Chinese forces. The Chinese quickly retaliated against South Korea. For most of the war, the Americans and ATO did not interfere, as they knew South Korea could handle its Northern counterpart, but when the Chinese retaliated, the ATO, NATO, and Japan quickly sent in forces to fight the Chinese.

2036—The situation deteriorates extremely rapidly, as the Chinese attacks on American and South Korean forces calls for the ATO to declare war on the Chinese.

2036—A maritime war begins between PLA forces and ATO forces in the Pacific, near South-East Asia. ATO marines battle against Chinese navy and marine forces for control of the South-East Pacific, and Australia and the USA spearhead the operations.

2036—Relations between the EU/ATO and the NDP deteriorate in an instant when ships belonging to the Indian Navy, who back the NDP, fire upon ATO forces in the beginnings of a three-way battle between Chinese, ATO, and Indian navies.

The ATO promptly declares war on India. As India is the NDP's ally, the NDP is forced to declare war on the ATO, to contain a constant, strong front to its enemies.

2036—Using the initial confusion to their advantage, Middle Eastern and Pakistani forces put even more pressure on India.

2036—Rivers-Gauss technology in small arms has become relatively common throughout humanity's military forces.

2036—By this time, three distinct groups come into formation during the initial stages of the war that would later be christened World War Three.

The Global Alliance—The Russian Federation, the EU, the ATO, Israel, Turkey, and South Africa.

The Pan-Asian League—China, South-East Asia, and the Crescent Union.

The International Defense Federation—The Nationalistic Defense Party, India, some of South-East Asia, Kazakhstan, and Middle/South Africa.

2036-2092—Christened as World War Three, the greatest war that humanity had ever seen rages for nearly sixty years across the entirety of the globe. Although originally excluded from the war, the South American Federation joined the war on the side of the International Defense Federation in 2038, after continuous efforts by the Global Alliance to secure SAF resources and land for the war. The war continues for decades, steadily depriving the human species of resources, stability, and ultimately, lives. Some of the world's pre-war governments have fallen due to war exhaustion and lack of resources, yet the new governments ultimately cannot avoid the war, due to aggression from the yet-living major powers. By 2092, however, the end of the war seems close, as in a daring movement by the Global Alliance, the Pan-Asian League is utterly destroyed in a set of high-risk operations across the globe.

2092—Today seen as the beginning of a three-week long holiday in the UER, March 24th, 2092 was the day many see as the beginning of the end of World War Three. Three weeks later, the desperate populaces of the world's remaining governments call for peace with the International Defense Federation. Entire generations were born and raised in the years of World War Three, and global war exhaustion is at a historical peak. Peace treaties are drawn up between the Global Alliance and the International Defense Federation, despite heavy tensions, but ultimately, peace succeeds, as even the remaining militaries are tired of war. Immediately, global attempts to resuscitate human society begin.

2093—World governments meet in Caen, France, one of the few cities remaining in the world left relatively untouched. Talks of a unified world government begin, in an attempt to prevent any future global wars. However, in lieu of the likes of the United Nations, which ultimately failed the same goal, it is decided that Earth would no longer be comprised of various nation-states around the globe. Instead, there would be one singular government and military.

2094—These talks continue for over a year, as there is great opposition to the movement. Ultimately, however, it is decided that Earth would be governed by a single democratic government. It is quickly christened as the United Earth Republic, and, in the following months, organizational structures of the UER are drawn up.

2094-2125—For three decades to follow, humanity steadily recovers from the devastation of World War Three. The UER is now a globally accepted government, and rules the entire globe. Industry is thriving, economies are growing, and the populace remains content.

2125—With Earth generally recovered, humanity looks to the stars. There is a rapidly growing consensus for space exploration and, eventually, colonization, and UER scientists work tirelessly to achieve efficient space travel.

2131—The first human colony is established on the moon, deemed "Luna." It's growth is slow, but steady.

2136—A human colony is established on Mars, and the first city is named "Primus." It too grows steadily, but surely.

2138—Scientists based in Munich, Germany, the unofficial scientific capital of the UER, invent the first terraforming machine. Christened the "Gehrman—Reyes Device," the machine is proven to be able to terraform a small Mars-like environment to one similar to Earth in a matter of months. Mass production is immediately begun, as the UER begins to fund such projects.

2139-2154—Colonization continues under the UER's policies, and colonies have been established on Luna, Mars, Venus, Ganymede, and Europa. Luna and Mars have been completely terraformed, while Venus, Ganymede and Europa and nearing completion. However, trouble arises when several groups form on the Jovian Moons and Venus. These groups quickly turn into full, established rebellions, and take over the various colonial governments on Venus, Ganymede, and Europa. Named the Frillian Movement and the Jovian Accordance respectively, the two rebel groups are immense problems for UER colonial efforts.

2155—A crisis emerges when the Jovian Accordance hijacks two UER naval vessels. Jovian Accordance "freedom fighters" land on Mars, and a conflict arises between UER military forces and Jovian rebels. The UER response is hampered by bureaucracy and politics, and Mars is nearly lost—the Jovian rebels are just barely repelled, their transports destroyed in a heroic move by a UER platoon led by Lieutenant Abioye Dimka, from the South-African theatre of Earth. The survivors of Dimka's platoon become to first members of the UER's prized Special Assault Division.

2155—Both the Frillian Movement and the Jovian Accordance declare war on the UER, and ally with each other. The UER's military branch attempts full mobilization, but is again hampered by bureaucracy and politics.

2156—The Frillian Movement, in a daring, bold operation, takes control of Luna. The UER populace is shocked, and panics at the extreme proximity of a hostile group. Tired of what he called "political bullshit and the idiotic ramblings from politicians controlled by corporations," Admiral Harvey Kenneth stages a military coup against the UER government. The coup is backed by the entirety of the UER military, and the Senate is unable to resist, and is immediately deposed. Though initially happy at the change in government, the UER civilian populace is horrified when Admiral Kenneth executes the entirety of the captured UER Senate on live television. In place of the Senate, Kenneth forms the Elected Council, a council of the highest ranking UER military officials from the Navy, Army, and Marine Corps. In a matter of days, the UER is rapidly transformed from a benign democratic government into an authoritarian military dictatorship. A new senate is formed, but is initially powerless.

2156—The UER undergoes a rapid series of huge reforms. Civil and Political freedoms are decreased, and in some fields, abolished entirely, while work is begun on military power and state-owned industry. Private corporations are abolished or taken over, and the UER emerges a powerful military state. However, the same private corporations that were overthrown quickly merge to form the National Conglomerate. Hiring entire mercenary armies, the leaders of the Conglomerate meet with the leaders of the Frillian Movement and the Jovian Accordance, and decide upon full rebellion and total war against the UER.

2157—The new military-based UER enacts a policy of total war against what it deems as the "Insurrection," and stages massive industrial buildup of military arms, naval vessels, and research. Thus begins the Solar War, between the UER and the Insurrection.

2157-2168—The Solar War rages throughout the Sol system, and millions of lives are lost on both sides. However, by 2168, the UER emerges victorious, having been able to cripple the economic powerhouse behind the Insurrection supplied by the National Conglomerate, and the Frillian Movement and Jovian Accordance quickly follow. Thousands of Insurrectionists are executed, while many more are detained—some are even supplied to UER scientists to experiment upon.

2169—The UER, though victorious, continues the military buildup, and the military swells. Thus, the Elected Council enacts a policy of mandatory military service. The military is the most central portion of the post-war UER, and remains as such to this day.

2175—After a few years of continuous colonization in the Sol System, the UER has extended its reach to the entirety of the solar system. Almost every planet or moon in the Sol System has been terraformed and/or colonized.

2176—In Munich, Germany, Karl Rausch makes a groundbreaking discovery—the Rausch Warp-Shock Drive is invented, which enables quick, rapid FTL across the solar system. While too slow for traveling outside of the Sol System, it revolutionizes travel across the Sol System.

2177—Again, in Munich, Germany, Joseph Steymer invents a method of FTL that many fear would supplant Rausch's prized Warp-Shock Drive. Steymer creates the Steymer Oscillation Drive, and Rausch immediately sets upon competing with Steymer, desperate to not lose his monopoly on the industry. However, it is soon discovered that instead of competing, the two forms of FTL would instead complement each other perfectly. While the Warp-Shock Drive is much too slow for inter-solar travel, and is only limited to in-system travel, the Oscillation Drive is much, much faster, but requires extensive times to recharge. The UER quickly utilizes both FTL drives, for their respective uses. The UER Colonial Administration is bolstered by these discoveries, and sets upon setting up colonial efforts in other systems.

2177-2221—For nearly fifty years, the UER swells in size. By 2221, the UER owns nearly 500 colonies across the entirety of the Orion Arm. However, this number is nowhere near the number of actual, fully established colonies, as the vast majority of such colonies are mere outposts, minor settlements, or such. In reality, 58 of the 500 colonies are full colonies established in Earth-like manners. The Colonial Administration governs these as "major colonies," and categorizes them as either Military Strongholds, Civilian Centers, Industrial Powerhouses, or National Breadbaskets.

2221—Trouble arises, when the descendants of the Jovian Accordance and National Conglomerate meet to discuss matters of a new Insurrection. While Private Corporations are outlawed, the leaders of the New Insurrection are able to gain support from the criminal leaders of the black markets, pirates, and various mercenary groups. The biggest of these mercenary groups is Blackstream, a massive paramilitary organization based on private security, piracy, and more.

2222—The New Insurrection is revealed, and while Blackstream only holds nominal support, the Insurrection is home to a large population of rebels to combat the UER. The Insurrection immediately sets upon war with the UER, and the UER enacts total war upon the Insurrection.

2222-2252—The new Insurrection War rages across UER space. However, instead of singular Insurrection bases on various colonies, the Insurrection takes a guerilla stance. While there is the occasional symmetrical battle, most battles between the UER and the Insurrection are asymmetrical guerilla fronts, and for three decades, the UER is caught in a major war against the Insurrection, bordering on a civil war. Though Insurrection attacks have become somewhat rare, they do happen, and the UER is in a full state of high alert and military buildup.

2253—UER scientists discover a mysterious device in the Ajax System deemed as an alien artifact…

 **Codex:**

 **The United Earth Republic**

 ** _Socialist Republic_**

While at its core an authoritarian military dictatorship, the United Earth Republic's government is a socialistic republic in which a ruling party is elected by the people and their representatives as a whole. In fear of a situation in which the ruling party enacts a coup d'état and a hostile takeover, a separate sect is held in place that only possesses power in a dire civil situation, such as the one above. The ruling party is titled as the Elected Council, and is usually comprised of the top military officials of the UER.

Under the Elected Council is the Civic House, responsible with dealing with Civil, in-state matters, and the Republican Senate, responsible with dealing with military matters. Both are headed by a member of the rival party (of the Elected Council) and a member with a neutral party unaffiliated with the rival or Elected party. Each contains 500 members total, elected by the people. Every member would be a representative of his or her planet of origin, with Earth bearing the largest amount of members—but only by a slim margin.

Under the circumstances of the UER's birth, military service is mandatory for all **legal** citizens of the UER. Both men and women are required to serve from ages twenty to twenty eight. There may be exceptions in the case of those with disabilities or other—but they are still required to serve the UER military, albeit in appropriate positions, and for less time.

Along with this, the UER has founded and funds several military colleges—the most notable of which being the Joint Naval Officers Commission (JNOC) of Earth, and the Junior Officer's University (JOU) of Rapture. Those who attend these schools and graduate will have their first four years of military service certified, at the cost of being required to serve another three years as officers.

Those who attend military colleges are only those who have been chosen personally by the UER military and the Republican Senate to attend—not everyone can attend. In addition, those who graduate serve as officers, and are expected to be exemplary humans and citizens.

Members of the military are paid a decent wage, and their families also receive an addition to their annual welfare payment. In addition, citizens who remain in the military after mandatory service are given a moderate to large sized increase in wages, and are honored by the Republic.

Those who leave the service at age 28 (31 for officers) are entered into the Military Reserve, and are required to attend a mandatory two-month Auxiliary Training Drill (ATD) every three years, depending on their roles in the military during their service.

Those who remain in the military are career soldiers, and are honored as such. Increased wages, benefits for themselves and their families, etc.

 **Steymer Gravitic Oscillation Drive**

The Steymer Gravitic Oscillation Drive, or Steymer Drive for short, is a modern piece of technology that allows faster than light travel at very high speeds, allowing for quick travel through the galaxy. Used by the UER, it comes in various models, with civilian models using smaller drives that are generally slower in speed, and the faster, and larger, drives reserved for military and science.

The Steymer Drive uses a system in which the drive creates a bubble, of sorts, around the ship where gravity is oscillated in multiple directions. The ship in the bubble is propelled forwards through space at high speeds, with little to no further propulsion needed. In this sense, gravity and space is distorted around the ship, and, with a set of coordinates, can put a ship thousands of light-years ahead of where it once was.

 **Pros:**

Fast travel between two coordinates very far away from each other.

No use of mass relays or mass effect.

Strategic and Tactical implications abound against Citadel species.

 **Cons:**

Relatively long recharge time.

Slower than mass relay system between two connected regions.

Cannot be used immediately before or immediately after the Warp-Shock Drive.

 **Rausch Warp-Shock Drive**

The Rausch Warp-Shock Drive, or Warp-Shock Drive or W-P Drive, for short, is another modern piece of technology that allows for faster than light travel at high speeds. However, it is limited to in-system or in-cluster use, as it cannot handle long distances as the Steymer Drive can. It uses a system where space is distorted around the ship and the drive, creating a "warp" effect. After, the drive "shocks" the warp into propelling the ship to a certain place in the cluster or system.

 **Pros:**

Fast travel in-system or in-cluster.

No use of mass relays or mass effect.

Strategic and Tactical uses against Citadel Species.

 **Cons:**

No long distance travel.

 **UER Colonial Administration**

The UER Colonial Administration is the heart of the Republic's colonial efforts. The Administration handles the exploration of new systems and celestial masses, and directs colonies and colonists across the UER's domain. Private colonies can be petitioned for, but usually require more money than the common citizen can provide.

"Major" Colonies are colonies that have been fully established across the entirety of a planet. These colonies have been fully developed, and sustain major populations comparable to humanity's homeworld, Earth. The Colonial Administration categorizes these major colonies as either Military Strongholds, Civilian Centers, Industrial Powerhouses, or National Breadbaskets.

Military Strongholds: These major colonies are the literal fortresses of humanity. The homes to much of the UER's military might, they can sustain entire branches of the military. Such colonies include Fenix, Bastion, Ares, and the up and coming colony of Antioch.

Civilian Centers: These major colonies hold major civilian populaces, and are generally the trade hubs of the UER. They are still very well protected, and are major centers for education, trade, and more.

Industrial Powerhouses: The UER's industrial might is centered around these colonies. Full of looming factories, bustling ports, and extensive mines, these colonies are essential to the UER's industrial power, both in civilian and military matters.

National Breadbaskets: These colonies are the major food production centers for the UER. Most of the food throughout the UER come from these colonies, and the planets they are based on were the ones that did not need major terraformation, in order to sustain the natural growth of food and supplies. Eden Prime is a prime example of such a colony.

 **Author's Note:**

Thanks for reading, and I hope you guys enjoyed. The next chapter returns to the narrative.

Like I said in the AN for the last chapter, I do need a Beta for those specific things. Hopefully I can get one soon, to improve my writing.


	3. Chapter 3: Prelude, Part 2

Captain Hans Shepard walked through the halls of the RNS _Crusader_. Immediately after the battle with the unknowns, he had initiated rescue operations for any survivors of the lost ships. The various crews of the remaining UER vessels were shaken, yes, but they were ultimately fine.

About three hours after first contact, the UER's 15th Fleet had arrived in system, responding to the message the _Crusader_ had sent to HIGHCOM shortly after the unknowns had first appeared. The 15th Fleet had sent reinforcements to what Doctor Prateesh's cadre had called the "Mass Relay." The majority of the fleet, however, was still in geo-synchronous orbit around Antioch.

The 15th Fleet was… _famous,_ to say the least. It was definitely the most well-known of the UER's 35 fleets, and probably held the most prestige gained from battle. The crews of the 15th Fleet were experienced, and their vessels were in excellent shape, ready to deal with any and all issues that arrived, be it the Insurrection, or these aliens that had suddenly appeared on the UER's radar.

Supplementing the fame of the 15th Fleet was the fact that Admiral Vasily Mikhailov had, a few years back, taken command of the entire fleet. The man was also famous throughout the UER, and had risen through the ranks of the navy in a short time. From what Hans had heard, Admiral Mikhailov was as straight as an arrow, adhering strictly to the UER's standard doctrines. He was, in effect, the paragon of the ideal UER naval officer, and he was responsible for many of the 15th Fleet's clutch victories against the Insurrection. Hans himself admired the man, but, unfortunately, some of Mikhailov's ideals were at odds with his own.

Especially Hans' tendency to go against the rulebooks.

Now, however, in light of recent events, Hans Shepard would finally have the chance to meet Vasily Mikhailov in person. Upon the 15th's arrival in-system, the Admiral had relayed a message for Hans to contact him via the QEC. HIGHCOM needed to know what exactly happened, and they needed the information fast. Thus, Hans was on his way to the QEC, having readied himself for the talk.

Hans entered the QEC Room, and stood in the center of the holographic platform. "Hadley, connect me to the RNS _Viridian Green_ , now."

"Aye, Captain. Patching you through now." The _Crusader_ 's Communications Officer, Rickson Hadley, acknowledged the order. Within moments, the middle-aged visage of Admiral Vasily Mikhailov appeared in the QEC. Hans immediately saluted the famed admiral.

"Captain Hans Shepard." The Admiral's thick Slavic accent was exacerbated by the static from the QEC. "At ease. You have something to report, yes?"

"Aye, Admiral. First Contact has been initiated, but I expect it is at least partially hostile."

Mikhailov raised an eyebrow, obviously interested. "Elaborate, Captain. What happened?"

"At 1560 today, I had contacted Doctor Prateesh of the RNS _Affinity._ The _Affinity_ and her resident science team were inspecting the Mass Relay discovered not too long ago. I had wanted to ascertain her findings, so that I could put them into a report to ORI."

"Continue."

"It was then when the Mass Relay itself lit up a bright blue, and I put my Battlegroup on immediate alert. The _Affinity_ retreated behind Battlegroup Autumn, when a single ship appeared through what seemed to be an FTL lane, next to the Mass Relay. The vessel was damaged, but we could not identify it at all. Upon seeing Autumn, it stopped all movement, and we attempted to contact it.

Before anything could happen, however, another set of alien vessels appeared in the same manner—sixteen ships, ranging from corvette weight to frigate weight. We were at first apprehensive, thinking that the aliens had brought reinforcements, but then, the sixteen ships had fired on both us, and the first unknown. We responded accordingly, firing upon the hostile aliens, as per UER doctrine. At the end of the engagement, we had lost one ship, the RNS _Parade_ , while the RNS _Judicator_ and the RNS _Wayfarer_ were crippled, having taken damage to their reactors. Fortunately, the damage was not too bad, though both vessels require extensive repairs to their reactors."

"What about the first unknown? What happened to it?"

"In the confusion of the engagement, the ship had escaped—post-engagement video records show the ship using the Mass Relay again to escape the battle. Right now, we cannot judge if the first unknown is hostile or not. We don't have enough intel to judge that."

Admiral Vasily Mikhailov seemed to look past Hans for a few seconds with a contemplative look, before returning his gaze to the captain. "Well, in the end, you did a good job, Captain. You adhered to standard UER naval doctrine, and repelled hostiles with minimal casualties." Mikhailov took a breath, looking down, before looking back. "Standard UER naval doctrine says that should a hostile force retreat from a UER system, the defending UER forces are required to pursue enemy combatants if and only if there is a sizeable force left to defend. Had the 15th Fleet been in-system during this engagement, I would have had you pursue the aliens, to prevent them from relaying information back to their superiors. However, in this case, you did well with what you had, Captain. Commendations are in order."

"Thank you, Admiral."

"For the time being, however, we need to secure this system, and the relay, to prevent further hostiles from attacking Antioch. Battlegroup Autumn will attach to the 15th for the near future, and Autumn is temporarily disbanded. Orders for you are to head back to Antioch for repairs and resupplies—we'll have a couple RIGs pull your crippled vessels back to the colony. Captain, compile all video records of the engagement in several copies, and send them and your reports to me. I'll hand them off to ORI for examination."

"Aye, Admiral." With that, the QEC's connection was terminated, and Admiral Mikhailov's image disappeared. Hans took a deep breath, before walking out of the room.

"Helm, full burn to the colony. We'll make for repairs and resupplies, and we'll see what happens next."

"Aye aye, Captain."

* * *

"Captain Hadrianus Varilin, the Council will see you now." The asari matron gestured for the turian to go forwards towards the Council Chambers, in order for his reports to the Council.

"Thank you, Telani." Hadrianus moved with a purpose, climbing the stairs to where the Council resided. He could see the three Councilors—Councilor Tevos of the asari, Councilor Jalethi of the salarians, and Councilor Caesus of the turians.

"Greetings, Captain Varilin." Tevos opened her arms in a welcoming manner, greeting the turian captain. "We expect that you have reports to give to us?"

"Yes, Councilor," Varilin replied. "The intelligence the STG cell is in salarian hands, and the PFS _Victrix_ is in repairs—my crew is on shore leave right now."

"Excellent work, Captain." Councilor Jalethi nodded, before continuing. "However, there is something else that interests us more than the intelligence you recovered. We have reports that you initiated first contact with a new species?"

"Somewhat true, Councilors. The PFS _Victrix_ came into contact with a group of ships that we could not identify. In our attempt to escape the batarians, we noticed a nearby relay that was open. The _Victrix_ took this relay to escape, when we happened upon several vessels of unknown make and design. They were obviously startled, and when we were hailed by one of the vessels, the response was aggressive and guarded. I have no doubt that we trespassed into this species' territory."

"Continue, Captain."

"We attempted first contact, but before anything could happen, the batarians also came through the relay. Without a moment's hesitation, they fired on both us and the unknowns. The unknowns promptly returned fire, doing extensive damage to the batarians, and in the chaos, the PFS _Victrix_ escaped through the relay. We made our way to the nearest Council colony, made repairs, and then took several relay jumps back to the Citadel."

The councilors seemed to contemplate this new development—they did not respond to Hadrianus for a good while.

Councilor Caesus was the first to respond to Hadrianus' report. "Thank you, Captain, for this information. That will be all. Report back to your ship, and keep your crew on standby. We may need you in the near future. Dismissed."

With that, Captain Varilin nodded to the councilors, and turned around, heading back to the PFS _Victrix._ As he left, the councilors turned towards one another, thoughts raging inside their heads.

"This is…interesting, to say the least." Councilor Jalethi brought up a datapad, tapping it a few times before looking at Caesus. "On one hand, this new species could be hostile, and, if left unchecked, could be yet another enemy for the Citadel species. But we can't afford another enemy—we're having enough trouble with the Batarians and Krogans as it is."

"If they're as bad as the rachni were, this could very well turn out horribly, for us," Tevos responded. "We need to act, as soon as possible."

"Though, the captain did say that the batarians fired upon them, while his crew did not. The new species only responded when force when fired upon." Caesus looked up in contemplation. "We could use this to our advantage—they understand the batarians as a definitely hostile force, while we're neutral to them, and we share a common enemy. If we send an envoy, we could potentially have another ally on our side." He looked towards Tevos, with a questioning gaze. "Tevos. Your species is the most diplomatic of us all. What do you think?"

Tevos looked forwards for a few moments, thinking of an answer. "Like Jalethi said, this new species could potentially be aggressive and hostile, like the Rachni were, and how the Krogan are now. On the other hand, they could be a potential ally." She looked back towards the other councilors, decision made. "The potential benefits outweigh the cons. We should at least send an envoy flotilla, and hope for the best. That way, we at least have an opportunity for an alliance. If we should attack them outright, we won't even get to know if they're hostile or neutral. I vote to send an envoy."

The other two councilors voiced their agreement—they were of the same mindset.

"Then it's decided. We'll gather a flotilla, and send for some of our best diplomats. Tevos, get someone you trust. Caesus, gather a flotilla, commanded by someone you know personally—someone who isn't too trigger happy, and we'll include Captain Hadrianus in the envoy as well." Jalethi got to work on his datapad, tapping rapidly across its screen. "I'll gather some STG agents, see if we can cross-reference their technology.

"This Council Meeting is adjourned."

* * *

Janna T'lani gazed out one of the many viewports on the _Cybaen_. The vessel itself was a recent addition to the asari fleets, having only been commissioned two years before and deployed a few months ago. The construction crews assigned to the _Cybaen_ had mixed up several part orders, having fitted the cruiser with a dreadnought-class drive core and an unusually robust prototype engine that, coincidentally, accommodated the excessive power source. Thus, the asari were left with a cruiser with dreadnought-weight thrusters and kinetic barriers. In effect, it was a median between the hulking dreadnoughts and the balanced cruisers—a "heavy cruiser," as the Republics decided to call it. Several matriarchs had even proposed creating a new, separate weight of warships based on the _Cybaen._

The _Cybaen_ itself was a detachment from the asari Sixth Fleet, commanded by Matriarch Trevelyna, a good friend and mentor of Janna. It had been a mere two days ago when a messenger from Councilor Tevos entered her office in the Citadel Embassies, bearing news that she was to report to the Council that day.

Turns out, they had needed Janna for a secretive diplomatic mission, and was to be attached to the _Cybaen_ , where she had met diplomats and envoys from the other Council races and Associate races. The _Cybaen_ had been promptly detached from the Sixth Fleet, and attached to the temporary Diplomat Flotilla—security was provided by a collection of twenty turian warships, and a cadre of salarian STG frigates.

Apparently, the leader of the turian security detail was one Rear Admiral Desolas Arterius, a prestigious turian military leader in his own right, from what Janna was able to gather from the extranet. Under him was a turian Captain named Hadrianus Varilin, the one who had first encountered the new species in the first place.

Janna had met both turian officers while the diplomatic envoy was still on the Citadel, and while Hadrianus had been amicable, and pleasant to converse with, Desolas Arterius gave off an aura of a hard-assed, ramrod-straight turian officer—one who would adhere to his principles until death, and would maintain a strict discipline on all of his subordinates. Janna didn't like the turian very much, but could appreciate his dedication to his species.

"Credit for your thoughts, Janna?"

The asari turned towards the voice to her left, where she saw Matriarch Trevelyna.

"Oh, Trevelyna, ma'am. Hello, there. I was just, thinking about our security detail."

"Hm? Care to elaborate?"

"Well, from what I could tell, the turians don't seem too trigger happy, and I don't worry about them, as a whole, ruining any diplomatic advances, or, Thessia forbid, cause a diplomatic incident." Janna turned back towards the viewport, gazing out into the stars. "But I do worry about one turian in particular."

Janna could hear Matriarch Trevelyna's eyebrow raise. "Who?"

"Desolas Arterius. I fear that his blatant love for rules, discipline, and professionalism may detract from our talks—it could unease the new species, or they could interpret it as undue aggression." The asari diplomat sighed, giving a small frown. "I know, it's a stupid worry, but it's a worry nonetheless."

Trevelyna too, turned towards the viewport. "It's good to worry about things like that, Janna. But, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Desolas knows his boundaries, and even he'd be insane to try something." The aged asari matriarch turned her gaze back to Janna. "Why don't you head back to your quarters, get some rest? We've got a few hours before we reach Relay 341."

Janna suddenly realized her weariness—it had been two whole days since she had last slept, since they worked day and night trying to stabilize relations with the associate races during the exhausting war. The asari nodded, before turning on her heels and heading to her cabin. Behind her, Matriarch Trevelyna watched her leave, before turning back to the CIC.

"Elara! What's our ETA on the relay?"

Elara, the _Cybaen_ 's helmswoman, replied back on the intercoms. "Four hours, ma'am. Admiral Arterius' ship, the PFS _Legendary_ , reports that the rest of the security detail, about five vessels belonging to a patrol group, are guarding the relay and are waiting for us to arrive."

"Thank you, Elara."

Matriarch Trevelyna gazed out the viewport one last time, before walking towards the elevator.

' _Maybe I should get some rest, too.'_.

* * *

"RNS _Viridian Green_ to the RNS _Kilimanjaro_ , anything to report?"

"That's a negative, _Viridian_. _Kilimanjaro_ reports nothing on our end. War Fleet Bravo will continue to stand guard at the Mass Relay." The voice of Captain Steven Hackett, commanding officer of the Vector-Class Battlecruiser, the RNS _Kilimanjaro_ , responded seconds later.

Both Captain Steven Hackett and Hans Shepard were matters of considerable note, to the UER brass. Under orders from the Elected Council, Admiral Vasily Mikhailov was to observe and investigate the two captains—they were seen as the next "leaders" of the UER military, and many within the UER's high-ranking officer class expected much out of the two. While Hackett and Shepard retained different ideologies and stances on UER military doctrine, they were both skilled, charismatic, and excellent leaders.

Vasily had no doubt that the two would achieve great things in their military careers.

Nevertheless, Admiral Vasily Mikhailov needed to return to his duties. He had split the 15th Fleet into two separate "War Fleets," each of which was composed of half of the entire fleet. While a War Fleet would usually be commanded by a Fleet Admiral and a Vice Admiral, Vasily had seen fit to assign Vice Admiral Perry for a reserve group—if anything hostile arrived at the relay that Hackett's War Fleet Bravo could not handle, Vasily's War Fleet Alpha would move in as the first wave of reinforcements, followed later by Perry's reserve group as the nominal "triarii." If anything managed to slip past Hackett's and Mikhailov's forces, then Perry would stay in position around Antioch, to guard the colony itself.

It was also a moment for Vasily to test and observe Hackett, and from what he'd seen of the junior officer, Hackett was capable. Mikhailov trusted him.

"Copy, _Kilimanjaro_. Alpha will resume patrols around the Hershel Belt. _Viridian Green_ out."

For several days after Shepard's first contact with both the hostile and "neutral" unknowns, the system had remained quiet—there had been no new developments since then. The UER military was already in a constant state of high alert, due to the ever-present threat of the Insurrectionists. The news of first contact hadn't remained hushed for long, but it hadn't taken much from the Elected Council to cull any panics and riots.

After all, the majority of the UER's civilian populace was former military, anyways. They all knew the drill.

Still, the UER brass had wanted to keep the 15th Fleet stationed in the Ajax System, both to guard the up-and-coming Military Stronghold and keep watch of any new developments around First Contact. The 32nd Fleet, just out of retrofits, had taken the 15th's position around the UER Civilian Center of Braxton IV, so that a hole would not be made in the UER's extensive defense.

While Hackett was leading the 15th War Fleet Bravo in a position that made it easy for Mikhailov to observe, his other charge had recently come out of repairs and resupplies, and taken what remained of his Battlegroup Autumn to attach to Perry's reserve fleet. Battlegroup Autumn, along with Perry's reserve, had orders to drop any marine detachments onto the colony, and standby for further orders—whether it was to reinforce them at the relay, or hold off at the colony, was to be seen.

"Lieutenant Sanderson. Anything to report from communications?"

"Yes, sir. I have a new report from SPECWARCOM, to be passed onto Battlegroup Autumn and Captain Shepard. Apparently, elements of November, Echo, and Delta Groups are being attached to Battlegroup Autumn."

"Special Forces? Which ones, and what for, Sanderson?"

"Well, the report includes one from each Group, detachments of the Special Assault Division from November, the 11th Light Reconnaissance Division from Echo, and the 32nd CED from Delta. You might know the latter as Bravo Cadre."

"I know what Bravo Cadre is, Lieutenant. Still, SAD, light assaults, and combat engineers? What the hell is SPECWARCOM planning?"

Sanderson looked back to Admiral Mikhailov, a sheepish look on his face. "I wouldn't know, sir. That's all the report says, that, and that it's supposed to be passed on to Captain Shepard."

Vasily rubbed his eyes, evidently tired, yet unwilling to take even a moment's rest. "Noted, Lieutenant. Get to work on relaying that message to the RNS _Crusader_ , immediately."

"Aye aye, sir."

' _That's fantastic. SPECWARCOM is attaching SOF operatives specifically to Shepard's group? What next, BAC-SIG on Hackett's ship? Definitely wouldn't want those shady_ piz'duk _on my ship, much less Hackett's…'_

The admiral shook his head, clearing his mind of such thoughts, before moving back onto present matters. The 15th Fleet had to remain on full alert, in case the unknowns of either group returned through the relay.

"Groningen. Nothing on sensors, I presume?"

Shelby Groningen, the _Viridian Green_ 's Sensors Operator, took a moment before responding. "Negative, sir. Nothing yet, and nothing reported from Bravo either."

"Keep a close eye on those sensors. Keep me posted, in case anything comes up."

"Aye aye, sir."

* * *

Captain Steven Hackett took a sip from his cup of coffee, still hot and fresh. It was of typical military rations, and thus, it was terrible, to say the least.

' _This coffee tastes like ass.'_

And yet, Hackett continued to drink from it. It was the best he could do at the moment, having stayed awake for nearly three whole days from Braxton IV to Antioch. He needed to stay awake, however, as he could not afford to be asleep if any aliens came through the relay.

"Sensors, anything on the relay?"

"Nothing sir, it's clear. The rest of War Fleet Bravo is reporting the same, nothing on their ends, and nothing on Alpha's end either.

Taking another sip from his coffee, Hackett frowned before continuing. "Communications, get me Captain Halab's Wolf Pack."

"Aye aye, sir."

A few seconds later, the visage of Captain Abdul Halab, captain of the RNS _Periwinkle_ , appeared in front of Hackett, his tanned face turned towards Hackett. "Captain Hackett. Do you need something?"

"Yes, Captain. I want you to send your Wolf Pack forwards towards the relay, at grid sector Yankee-591. Set a diamond formation, and ready weapons just in case. I have an eerie feeling right now, and I want to be sure we're not going to be caught off guard. I want your Wolf Pack behind us, but in front of the rest of the fleet."

"Aye, captain. I can do that."

The communication line closed, before Hackett took another sip of coffee. Indeed, like he had mentioned to Halab, Hackett did feel off right now—his instincts were telling him to get ready, and he always trusted his instincts.

 _ **20 minutes later**_

Hackett had been in the middle of going through reports, when suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck raised. Immediately, he perked up, before his Sensor Operator cried something out.

"Captain! The relay's activating, something's coming through!"

Hackett didn't hesitate for a second, before sending his mind and body on full alert. "All hands to battle stations! Clear firing lanes and ready all weapons! Relay a message to the rest of the War Fleet, defensive positions, and make sure Halab's Wolf Pack is ready for first engagement! We don't want to get caught off-guard, but make sure all UER ships are ordered not to fire unless fired upon." Klaxons immediately began to blare across the ship, as personnel ran back and forth hurriedly. "Ready all fighter and interceptor pilots, but don't launch them yet."

"Aye, sir!"

Within seconds, the relay seemed to reach a peak of activity, before seemingly spitting out lanes of blue energy. Unknown vessels appeared in the space next to the relay, of various designs and forms."

"I'm reading sixteen vessels of various size, design, and form, captain. Sensors aren't recognizing them, looks like the aliens are upon us now, sir." His Sensor Operator took a few moments, before continuing. "Looks like they're being led by a vessel of a destroyer-light cruiser intermediary weight."

"Someone get me a visual on the alien ships, now!"

"Captain! The lead vessel is hailing us!"

Hackett's eyes briefly widened, before he responded. "Respond to the hail, let's see what they want."

" _This is Matriarch Trevelyna of the_ Cybaen _. We come in peace, and present diplomatic envoys."_

"Isolate that signal, and someone start working on a translation!" barked Hackett, as the alien tongue sounded through the bridge.

"I'm trying, Captain!" The _Kilimanjaro_ 's Communications officer cried out, her fingers tapping wildly across her station. "The communication algorithms aren't like anything I've seen before, and it doesn't help that they're speaking in an entirely different language." A second later, a new light appeared on her screen. "Captain, wait, they're sending a visual message!"

"Open it, now."

The Communications officer took a few seconds, as she watched the message that the alien cruiser had sent to the _Kilimanjaro_. "Captain, I'm sending you the file now."

A visual of the message sent by the alien vessel appeared on the main viewer, and Hackett watched it carefully. It showed two ships, both blue, and one appeared to resemble his own ship, while the other resembled the alien cruiser in front of him. Another dot, much smaller, appeared to exit the alien ship, and go towards the _Kilimanjaro_ , where it seemed to enter the UER vessel.

"Captain, it seems as if they want to send an envoy, of sorts, to our ship. Orders?"

"Send a message back, as simple as you can make it without language. We accept, and I'll meet them in the hangar."

The rest of the crewmembers on the bridge seemed to be wary of Hackett's seemingly brazen decision to meet with completely unknown aliens, but nevertheless, followed their orders. The Communications officer sent the message, and the alien vessel seemed to acknowledge it. A few minutes later, a small vessel, likely a shuttle, exited what appeared to be the alien cruiser's hangar, before moving towards the _Kilimanjaro_.

"Commander Johansson, you have the bridge. I'll meet them in the hangar." Said Hackett, turning to leave the bridge. "Send an honor guard from the Colonel's regiment. Thirty men on each side. We want to send a message, whether to impress them or intimidate them."

"Aye aye, sir. Contacting Colonel Hsu now."

* * *

"Fifty seconds."

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Rear Admiral Desolas Arterius turned away from the pilot of the shuttle, before looking back at the other occupants of the shuttle.

First and foremost, the main diplomat of the Citadel's envoy was Janna T'Lani, an asari matron who Desolas gathered did not fully trust him. Next to her was the salarian diplomat, a chipper, yet professional, specimen that seemed uneasy, but ready for any encounters. Then, there was the turian diplomat, one Desolas knew personally as a good friend. General Sparatus, a turian military officer like Arterius, who was aiming to get out of the military field and enter the political field. In fact, it was common knowledge that Sparatus had been playing the political game for long in the Hierarchy, yet did not desire any Primarch position over any colony or planet. Not even Palaven itself.

It was, however, obvious to Desolas that Sparatus was instead aiming for the seat of turian councilor, on the Citadel. Big ambitions, yes, but Desolas knew that Sparatus could easily attain the position.

That left him, Desolas Arterius. He had been brought along, with a squad of turian Blackwatch, to provide security, if needed.

Hopefully not.

"Are we all ready to meet this new species?" Desolas heard a voice to his right, and turned to Janna, the one who had spoken.

"Ready? Yes. But what this species is like is to be seen. Hopefully, things go well." Desolas responded, internally contemplating the possibilities. Would this new species be aggressive? Peaceful? Obviously not, they had responded to the batarians with lethal force. Militaristic? Democratic? Authoritarian?

For all they knew, these newcomers to the galaxy could even be an exact replica of the Turian Hierarchy itself.

"Ten seconds."

Desolas stood up, rolling his shoulders, before turning to the rest of the group. "We should get ready. Janna, I presume you're going first?"

"Yes, Desolas," She responded. "Get your men to follow on our flanks. And, by Thessia, Desolas, please don't do anything rash."

Frankly, Desolas was offended. He wasn't some warmongering, barbaric Krogan, was he? He turned to face out the window, and could see that the shuttle had entered an expansive hangar. White, reflective material was everywhere, and Desolas could see multiple objects that he presumed were fighters, bombers, and other vehicles of the sort. The shuttle came to a stop in the air, and slowly lowered itself, before making contact with the ground.

"We've landed. Door's opening in three."

A few seconds later, the door to the shuttle opened, and the group walked out, eager to see what lay ahead of them.

Desolas whistled. An entire honor guard, of what seemed to be sixty of the new specimen's soldiers, were arrayed in two lines of thirty in front of them. They were armored in black hardsuits with red trim, and wore helmets that concealed their faces with a metal faceplate and a polarized visor. Armed with what looked like rifles, they looked deadly, and professional.

All of a sudden, one of them, which Desolas assumed was their commanding officer, yelled out a command, and the honor guards all grasped their rifles in sync and raised them upwards at an angle, creating a single, loud banging sound as the marines moved in perfect unison.

Desolas was impressed, mandibles moving in a particular manner as he nodded. He could tell that Sparatus felt the same, while Janna was intimidated by the performance, and the salarian diplomat was indifferent.

Then, ahead of them, in between the two columns of guards, a trio started to walk towards them. In the middle was what Desolas assumed to be the officer in charge of the entire ship, wearing a dress uniform decorated with medals and ribbons all over. He was flanked by two armed guards, wearing much of the same attire as the rest of the honor guard.

And, by the Spirits, this new species looked _so similar_ to the asari! The alien's facial features and physique were exactly the same, albeit with a pinkish-tan skin tone, and possessed a batch of fur on its head, and on its face. It was exactly what Desolas had assumed a male asari would look like, despite the differences.

What was this new species?

* * *

Janna gave a small gasp, when she saw the alien officer walking towards them. He, or at least she thought it was a he, had the same physique and facial features as the asari, albeit had several major differences. Ears, pinkish skin tone, and…fur? She was already intimated by the blatant militaristic display, this was obviously a militant species, but this?

No matter, Janna shook her head of the wayward thoughts. She had to continue with her duty, to facilitate an easy, gentle diplomatic advance, and to create the beginnings of a diplomatic tie between this species and the Citadel Council.

Finally, the alien officer and his two armed guards stopped right in front of her group, before alien officer smiled gently—a gesture that was incredibly similar, if not the same, as the asari's typical display of content. The alien extended an open hand, before waiting. Another asari-like gesture of greetings, so Janna took the alien's hand and shook it, as was customary.

' _Right, now to start with the mind meld._ "

Janna waited for a moment before extending her hands to the alien's temples. The alien seemed to hesitate for a bit, unsure, before letting her continue—he probably thought the gesture was the asari version of a greeting.

Holding her hands against the temples of the alien's head, she gazed intensely into his eyes, before speaking the customary words.

" _Embrace Eternity!"_

Immediately, Janna's vision went black, before she could see again, into the alien's mind. His mind was extremely similar to an asari's, yet still different. It was, however, easier to comprehend than, say, a turian's, or a salarians. Janna started to focus—her main goal was to attain this alien's language, so as to facilitate easier communication.

She saw faces, planets, images of various meanings, yet Janna could not understand any of them. _Language,_ she urged. Then, Janna felt a wary, if curious push, from her host.

' _What are you doing? Where are we?'_

Janna responded, with a soothing, easy voice.

' _Peace, Steven Hackett, I mean you no harm. We are inside your mind.'_

Janna could suddenly feel resistance, as if this _Steven Hackett_ was trying to force her out of his mind. _'How do you know my name, Janna? Are you trying to read my mind? Get out!'_

Janna focused on soothing Hackett's mind, before speaking again. _'The same reason you know mine, Steven Hackett. Please, remain calm. I am only trying to learn your language.'_

' _I won't tell you anything. I won't betray the UER.'_

Suddenly, Janna was flooded with images. The United Earth Republic. A spaceship. The stars, Faces of his commanding officers, Hackett's subordinates, marines, soldiers, battles across the stars against his own species. A flag, painted red with a golden _eagle_ perched on a planet. _Earth_. His homeworld. _Human_. His species. This _Steven Hackett_ was a soldier, for life. He loved everything his _United Earth Republic_ stood for, and would defend it to the death. It was his duty, his honor, and his life. It was his family.

' _Please, Steven. Remain calm. I can only see what you choose to show me. I am not forcing it out of you—I am asking you for your language. I am a guest, in this house. You are the host. My only want is to learn your language, so that communication between our species is easier.'_

' _I can't trust you yet. Show me your secrets, first.'_

Janna obliged, and sent him images of her own possession. Thessia. The asari. Her language, her studies in diplomacy and the arts. The Citadel, the Council, the many colonies and planets of its member species. Janna T'Lani.

' _561 years old? You're old…sorry.'_

' _And you would only be a baby within our society, Steven. 41 years old?'_

' _Yes. Then…I will show you the primary language for my species. English. But I will show you nothing more.'_

' _I understand.'_

Janna was immediately flooded with even more images—words, of which she finally understood. Language, education, sentences, grammar—everything that Hackett saw fit to give her. In return, Janna gave him the knowledge of the turian and salarian languages, since she had already passed on the asari's main dialect, Serrice, just before.

Then, Janna felt Hackett's mind tire—he was fatigued by the exchange of knowledge, as was regular. _'Steven, are you alright?'_

' _Tired, yes, but I can manage. That was…a tad exhausting. We can talk now, yes? Outside of my…mind?'_

' _Yes, I would assume so.'_ Then, Janna felt an immediate sense of worry, of urgency—something was worrying Hackett. _'Steven, what worries you?'_

' _My men, they may react aggressively—they could think you're brainwashing me, or taking control of me. How can we be sure they haven't attacked you, or your group, yet?'_

Janna chuckled lightly, amused by Steven's response. _'No need to worry, Hackett. It has only been a second or so since I began the mind meld outside of your mind. That will not be enough time for a negative reaction, I hope, and hopefully, your men will only see this as a customary greeting of our species, just as your_ handshake _was.'_

' _Good…good…shall we return, now?'_

' _Yes. I'm going to end the mind meld, now. Are you ready?'_

' _As ready as I can be.'_

Janna hesitated for a second, before pulling her mind out of the meld. Her vision went dark again, the two entities separating into two, before she opened her eyes again to the real world.

Steven Hackett still stood in front of her, a tad dazed, yet conscious, and his two guards were still at his side, looking a little bit unnerved, but reasonable yet the same.

"Thank you, Steven Hackett. That was…enlightening, to say the least."

Hackett's guards seemed to shuffle a tiny bit, obviously surprised that Janna knew of their language, but still retained the brutal professionalism all UER soldiers and marines seemed to possess. Hackett, on his part, remained indifferent, yet smiled at her.

"That was indeed, Janna T'Lani. It's good to meet you. I assume you and the rest of your envoy will want to talk further in the ship?" He gestured towards the rest of her party, raising an eyebrow. Janna turned back with a questioning look, and they nodded, ready to follow her deeper into the ship.

"That would be a yes, Captain Hackett. We'll follow you."

* * *

They had all gathered in a room nearby the bridge. There was a single table in the middle, with armed guards standing by the door. In a gesture of mutual trust, Hackett allowed the turian guards to keep their weapons, to defend themselves. Steven's XO, Commander Johansson, sat at his side as the aliens all took their seats, with the exception of the turian guards.

"Now, I assume that you're all here to facilitate a first contact with our species?"

Janna nodded, before responding. "Yes, Captain Hackett. The Citadel Council received reports that a turian vessel made initial contact with a human ship in this system, while attempting to escape a batarian pursuant through a Mass Relay. The batarians had attacked your ship, while the turian vessel escaped back to the Citadel. Upon this discovery, we wished to make peaceful contact, and make sure that there were no hostile intentions between our species."

Hackett took in Janna's words, and looked her in the eyes. "This is reassuring, to be sure. Make no doubt, the UER does not wish for any hostile contact with another race. However, be sure that if these… _batarians_ , do attack us again, we will respond with lethal force, and possibly even war."

Janna sighed—she did not want to have to touch upon the Citadel's current war with the Krogan-Batarian-Terminus alliance. However, she would if she had to. She returned her attention to Hackett when she heard him talking again.

"So, you said you're from the Citadel Council? What is this Council, and this Citadel, exactly?"

"The Citadel Council is a unified front for the Council species and its Associate species. The Council is made of the Asari, Salarians, and Turians, and a representative from each species is set as the representative of his or her species." She took a breath, before continuing. "It is not a completely unified 'nation,' to be sure. Each species and its respective government is free to govern and rule itself as it sees fit—but we are engaged in mutual defensive and military alliances, and will support each other if need be militarily, diplomatically, or economically. Every member species can choose to remain independent—though that rarely happens, if they are offered the chance."

Hackett seemed to absorb the knowledge for a time, merely staring at Janna. She slowly grew more uncomfortable, before Hackett finally responded. "Then, that is good to hear. The UER definitely does not wish for war, but I cannot say whether the Elected Council will see fit to join as an Associate race or not yet. That is to be seen."

"Now, I do have a question for you, Janna. Why, exactly, was your turian ship running away from these batarians? Why did the batarians fire on us? Is there a war of some sort going on?"

Before Janna could respond, Sparatus, to her right, interrupted her. "Yes, Captain Hackett. The Citadel Council is currently engaged in war with the Batarians, and their allies the Krogans, and the various pirates and mercenaries in the Terminus Systems."

"Terminus? Krogans? Tell me everything I should know." Hackett responded.

"The Terminus is what we call the relatively lawless portion of the galaxy that the Citadel Council does not govern. The Krogan are another species, well known for their aggressiveness and hostility. I'm sure you already know about the batarians."

"So, you're telling me that you are currently in a war with an alliance of aggressive, hostile aliens, and by responding to the batarians with hostile force and discussing political matters with you, we will have dragged ourselves into this war?"

"Unfortunately, Captain, yes. I have no doubt that the batarians will declare war on your species, now or in the future. That is why I propose something. An alliance, between the Citadel Council, and your United Earth Republic. We need all the allies we can get, and while we are peaceful towards you humans, they, most certainly are not."

Hackett looked down at the table, silent and contemplative. The Council ambassadors slowly grew more and more anxious, as Hackett did not respond to Sparatus' offer. Finally, Hackett looked back up, worry in his eyes.

"I cannot say whether my leaders will accept this alliance or not—they will not willingly drag the UER into yet another war, while we are currently in the midst of an…internal issue. Nevertheless, be assured that for the time being, the UER will remain peaceful and neutral towards your Citadel Council." Hackett took a breath, before continuing. "I assume that in the near future, the UER will send a proper ambassador to your…Citadel, to speak further on such matters. I—"

Suddenly, klaxons began to blare all over the ship, as red alarms splayed light all over the room. The entire group stood up from the table, aware and worried, as the guards on both sides grasped their weapons and became alert.

"Commander, what the hell is going on?" Hackett barked at his XO.

"I have no idea, Captain!" Commander Johansson started tapping on a device on her wrist, before looking back up, frantic. "Captain, the bridge is reporting several vessels coming out of the relay, matching Batarian design! Sir, they say there is no visible end to the stream of ships!"

One of the turian guards looked down at his Omni-Tool, before grabbing Desolas' attention. "Admiral, sir! Reports are coming through that the patrol group on the other side of the relay has been destroyed! They're reporting an entire fleet of batarian and krogan vessels are coming through the relay, loaded for bear!"

Without hesitation, Hackett sprinted out of the room, gesturing for the Council diplomats to follow him. "Commander, make sure we get the diplomats back to their ship—scramble a fighter wing to escort them." He turned back to the diplomats, urgency in his eyes. "I need you to get back to your ships, and back behind the fleet. Get back to the colony, Antioch, if you can. I'll send word that you're neutral, so that they don't fire on you."

The Council diplomats nodded, before splitting ways with Hackett, following Commander Johansson to the hangar. Captain Hackett sprinted through the halls of the _Kilimanjaro_ , seeing scores of crewmen and marines running back and forth as the klaxons and alarms continued to blare. Hackett burst into the bridge, settling into the middle of the room, by his chair.

"Bridge, sitrep now!"

"Captain, we've got at least 80 incoming X-rays, and more counting, through the relay! Energy signatures rising, it seems they're preparing weapons!"

"Sir, the alien diplomats have returned to their lead vessel, and they're attempting to pass our line!"

"Let them get through, and get me a line back to Admiral Mikhailov!"

"You're transmitting, sir!"

Instantly, Admiral Mikhailov's voice came through the comms. "RNS _Kilimanjaro,_ RNS _Viridian Green_. Anything to report? We've got visuals of contact between you and the aliens, but we're getting reports of another alien fleet coming through the relay."

"That's correct, sir, we're sending the ships containing the Council diplomats back to Antioch. We've got another fleet of aliens coming through the relay, potentially hostile to both us and the diplomats." Hackett barked. "We need reinforcements now, we need the other War Fleet."

"Copy that, _Kilimanjaro_. We're on route. I want you to pull your War Fleet back to an intermediate coordinate between our fleets, and assume a defensive position. I'm having Perry's reserve drop their marines on Antioch and hold position in orbit. _Viridian Green_ out."

Hackett closed the transmission, before barking another order. "Contact the rest of the fleet now, ready weapons, and turn this ship around, full burn towards grid sector November-312."

"Transmission online, captain!"

"Fleet, pull back for now, and assume defensive positions in the area between War Fleet Bravo and Alpha! Ready weapons, and prepare for potential hostile contact!"

The War Fleet quickly turned around, heading back to maintain a greater distance from the batarian and krogan fleet. All that remained was to see how contact would go.

 **CODEX:**

 **The Office of Republic Intelligence:** The UER's Office of Republic Intelligence, often shortened to ORI, is an incredibly secretive intelligence organization within the UER. Not much is known about ORI, except for the fact that they will do anything they can to protect humanity and ORI. It is led by a singular Director, of which the current Director is an Admiral Mary Ishimura, but there are rumors that ORI is led by someone even higher than the Director…

 **BAC-SIG:** The Battle Assistance Command—Special Interests Group, commonly shortened to BAC-SIG, is a special forces group within the UER. However, it is not connected to SPECWARCOM by any means, instead under the direct command of ORI itself. Not much is known about BAC-SIG, as it is a heavily classified and secretive group in the UER, and was created amidst the constant threats of rebel and terrorist activity. Slightly comparable to the 20th century American Military Assistance Command—Vietnam: Studies and Observations Group, upon which the BAC-SIG was lightly based, the SIG specializes in covert unconventional warfare, espionage, sabotage, assassination, etc.—and also, many things that are not even whispered of. Besides the spooks of the UER's various intelligence groups, the BAC-SIG is known to undertake the most Black Ops and Deniable Ops of the RAF, using specialized teams.

 **RIG:** The RIG is a mobile support platform for the UER's largest fleets, and performs various support duties for the fleet it is attached to, varying from repairs, rearms, and resupplies, to in-field creation of smaller vessels if needed.

Support, meant to rearm and redeploy on the go. Contained to large fleets.

Homestead-Class RIG: 4,500 meters long, 2,150 meters wide.

Specialty: Support—Field Resupply and Repair, Assault Support Platform

 **SPECWARCOM: SPECWARCOM is the main command structure under which most of the UER's Special Forces are retained. SPECWARCOM is composed of various units from all the branches, and structures them all under several "groups."**

 **November Group**

November Group is a section of UER Special Operations that deals primarily with traditional special operations, including reconnaissance, some wetwork, assault, raids, some assassinations, etc., but can still participate in frontline combat or reconnaissance.

 **Guard Group**

Guard Group is composed of all of the Guard elements UER SPECWARCOM.

 **Echo Group**

Echo Group is among the least "Special" of the special forces, but are still potent, deadly, and elite. Echo Group deals primarily with reconnaissance, light infantry, skirmishing, etc.

 **Delta Group**

Delta Group is, alongside Echo Group, among the least "special" of SPECWARCOM, but are still deadly, elite, and potent. Delta Group is comprised of units that specialize in assaults, front-line combat, demolitions, and anything primarily loud.

 **Zulu Group**

Zulu Group is comprised mostly of UER ORI elements, and participate in wetwork, assassinations, intelligence gathering, special interests, studies and investigations, etc. It is completely separate from the rest of SPECWARCOM, and is commanded only by ORI.

 **Theta Group**

Theta Group is one of the UER Army's most elite special operations groups, and not much is known about them. They undertake the most dangerous operations the UER Army offers, besides the ones assigned to the guards (and even then, some of the assignments meant for the Guards are reassigned to Theta Group). They specialize in counter-terrorism, hostage recovery, black/deniable operations, espionage, counter-insurgency, assassination, sabotage, and many more delicate subjects and operations.

 **Author's Note:**

Hey, guys. Thanks for reading the first three chapters of _The Inheritance of Man_. Hope you enjoyed it. Again, constructive criticism of any kind is appreciated, and needed.

Again, I do need a beta, for those specific reasons. Any takers? :D

The next chapter will likely be uploaded within the next two weeks. Until then, ciao.


	4. Chapter 4: Prelude, Part 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for the UER.**

Admiral Vasily Mikhailov waited patiently, watching the main view of the Batarian-Krogan fleet in front of him. Both halves of the 15th Fleet had rendezvoused not but ten minutes before, and Vasily had made sure to regain full, unimpeded command of the entire fleet. The 15th was his to command, and he would make sure that everything he ordered would ensure the best possible chances of survival for his fleet.

The 15th numbered 118 vessels, and was manned by experienced crewmen and battle-hardy marines. Yet, for all that, numbers would not be on Mikhailov's side if the two opposing fleets came to bouts. They had counted a full 142 ships belonging to either the krogan or the batarians—indeed, their vessels were generally smaller, ranging from corvette-sized to a few cruiser-weights, yet he had determined - from Shepard's reports and post-engagement evaluation data - that size did not matter with those ships that belonged to the either the Citadel, or the aliens in front of him. They packed quite a punch, and - much to Vasily's chagrin - he would have to modify standard UER naval engagement strategy quite a bit.

After decades of fighting amongst the stars against their own kind, the various UER tacticians and strategists had dictated that the best way to engage a hostile naval force was to slowly advance upon the enemy whilst continually firing off a vessel's main magnetic cannons, with the occasional broadside. Yet from what from Vasily had gathered, this strategy would take the UER nowhere, with these vessels that utilized the so-called "Element Zero," that the Citadel diplomats had touched briefly on with Hackett, and that the scientists from the RNS _Affinity_ had discovered from the "mass relay."

No, Vasily had determined that such a regular strategy would only cause their destruction. Yes, their "mass accelerators" packed much smaller packages than did the UER's Magnetic Cannons, at a similar rate of fire. But, the problem lied in the fact that while the UER's main guns where stronger overall, the slugs they fired, whether it was a heavy, medium, or light, were much too slow for the standard distances at which Element-Zero vessels engaged. Their opposition could simply dodge their shots systematically while simultaneously peppering the UER vessels with their own slugs. That was, indeed, the reason Shepard's Battlegroup Autumn had lost an entire vessel, and had two others crippled, against a foe that was unprepared, relatively unshielded, and taken off-guard. _Death by a thousand cuts, indeed._

Thus, Vasily had to think of another strategy—and in his brief endeavors, while waiting for any sign of contact from the Batarians or the Krogan, he had come to the conclusion that the UER needed to engage at a distance that they could, pound for pound, slaughter the enemy, while maintaining a solid defense.

The solution lied in engagement distances greater than knife-fighting ranges, yet slightly lesser than intermediate ranges. Another question lied in the _how_. How would they achieve such short distance engagements?

And, again, Vasily had an answer. The UER's vessels primarily used two different FTL drives—one for long-distance trips, the Steymer Gravitic Oscillation Drive—and one for short-distances—the Rausch Warp-Shock Drive. While the Steymer Drive needed long periods of time to recharge, the Warp-Shock Drive could recharge itself in a matter of minutes. Indeed, UER vessels could even engage their Warp-Shock Drives before the FTL drive itself was fully charged—albeit, for shorter distances. And, in this, the admiral had his solution.

If the krogan-batarian fleet turned out to be hostile, then Vasily would immediately give the order for a mass FTL jump, towards a respectable distance between themselves and the enemy. The fleet would jump in waves, so as to prevent any sort of unwanted coagulation, and would then break into smaller blocs, with goals similar to a Wolf Pack's—engage together, and remain as a singular entity, while still breaking the fleet into several elements to provide the most efficient manner of engagement, and prevent a singular wall for which the enemy for fire indiscriminately into.

Of course, this strategy would be much easier to pull off with smaller numbers—the size of such a fleet, undergoing such a maneuver, would likely prove to be a hindrance—but, Vasily had faith in the men and women of the 15th Fleet, that they would pull it off—the first example of such a naval maneuver.

He just hoped to death that it would work. The admiral shook his head, done with his contemplations, before looking around the bridge. The crewmembers hustled about with a sense of urgency, yet remained diligent and professional. Good.

"Sir!"

Mikhailov whipped his head around towards Sanderson, his Communications officer. "Yes, Lieutenant?"

"Sir, we've received a transmission - a voice recording. From one of those cruiser-analogues."

"Run it through the translator matrix the Citadel diplomats lent to us. Let's see what they want."

In a second Lieutenant Sanderson ran it through, and a voice rang through the bridge's intercoms. "Unknown fleet, you have illegally fired upon Hegemony vessels, thus declaring your hostility. You have five minutes to surrender, and we will consider taking prisoners. Fail to comply, and we will fire on you. The timer starts now."

Vasily did nothing for a few seconds after the transmission stopped, before his mouth curled into a smirk. "Tactical, what's the situation on our weapons systems?"

"Sir, both Heavy Magnetic Cannons are at 100% charge, and ready to fire, while our shields are raised and at full charge. All fourteen Raven missile pods are prepped with missiles loaded, and we have both torpedo bays on our starboard and port sides loaded. Torpedoes on the bow are not loaded yet, but are prepped." The crewman took a few moments, tapping on his console several times. "Point defense rifles are ready, and Colonel Rogers reports his marine detachment is ready for combat, whatever you need them to do."

"Thank you, Lieutenant." The admiral sighed, stretching his arms before turning his gaze back to the main view. "And now, we wait. I want all flights of F-41 Kestrels scrambled, now. As soon as they fire upon us, I want our Rausch drives prepped, and I want communications to send out an order to the rest of the fleet to make FTL jumps. We will, and I mean we _will_ , show these aliens their mistake in engaging the United Earth Republic." Admiral Mikhailov stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath. "For the Republic!"

The rest of the bridge resounded with an echo, as crewmembers boldly yelled the UER's battlecry.

* * *

Staying true to his word, the batarian admiral at the head of the joint Krogan-Batarian fleet smirked viciously before giving the order for the entire fleet to fire at the miserable aliens before them. Watching as the slugs made their way towards the enemy, he thought that maybe, the Hegemony could make a slave race out of these insolent aliens, along with the rest of the Citadel member races.

Yet, he would never gain that satisfaction, as before the shots could find their marks, the enemy fleet before the Batarians and Krogan shined a bright blue, akin to some sort of electricity, before they disappeared altogether. And suddenly, the batarian admiral was gazing into the bows of an entire hostile fleet, only some fifty kilometers away from his own fleet.

The many bows of the UER fleet were alight with a red glare, before unloading their payloads into their enemy, focusing on key targets, before the 15th broke up into their various Wolf Packs and blocs. Within seconds, fifteen batarian and krogan vessels, ranging from frigates to cruisers, were eliminated, crushed, detonated, or vaporized. To their credit, the Krogan and Batarians responded with force and diligence, firing away with their mass accelerators, and launching waves and waves of disruptor torpedoes.

"Admiral, enemy cruiser twenty degrees to starboard!" The _Viridian Green_ 's Helmsman barked out, eyes darting across the viewport as he steered the vessel this way and that way.

"Hard to port, fire broadsides when ready. Tactical, get me a firing solution on that cruiser ahead of us, and fire when ready."

Lieutenant Sanderson's fingers raced across his console, fully alert as he kept tabs on the other vessels in the 15th Fleet. Suddenly, a red light pinged across his board, signaling the loss of communications with an allied vessel. "Sir, the RNS _Say My Name_ is hit! Comms aren't responding."

Suddenly, a destroyer nearby the RNS _Viridian Green_ seemed to stop all movement, before a bright light blinded their view. The RNS _Say My Name,_ a Providence-Class destroyer, had imploded, its reactors compromised and its engineers vaporized.

"Damnit! Comms, give a report on the rest of the fleet!"

"We've lost seventeen, sir. I'm counting thirty-one casualties for the enemy, and rising!"

"Tactical, how are the cannons looking?"

The _Viridian Green_ 's Tactical officer, one Lieutenant Paul White, looked down at his console before responding. "Cannon 1 is at full charge, sir. 2 is at 76% and rising."

"Fire on that cruiser with Cannon 1 now! Helm, 30 degrees to port, lead the Wolf Pack into their center of mass."

"Aye aye, sir!"

The krogan cruiser the _Viridian Green_ had targeted rocked from the blow, and slowly turned on its heel to face the _Viridian Green_. Yet, it would never achieve its goal, as a wayward shot from a nearby Courage-Class heavy cruiser knocked it off course. The heavy cruiser then headed straight for the krogan vessel itself, turned and launched a full salvo of Raven missiles into the krogan vessel. A second later, the cruiser lit ablaze in a fiery explosion, all hands lost to the abyss.

"New target, bearing 45 by 315! Fire full broadside!"

After a moment's hesitation, the Viridian-Class Battlecruiser aimed its broadside Light Gauss Cannons at the center of the Batarian cruiser. The first salvo impacted the cruiser, breaking its shields, and Vasily ordered a second salvo a moment later. The second round of 30 kg slugs seared through the vessel's decks, rendering the cruiser dead in the water. Many of its crewmen were still alive, yet they were helpless, unable to directly aid their forces.

Vasily gazed at the tactical interface, gauging the _Viridian_ 's next move as his Wolf Pack speared straight through the alien lines. His eyes widened when he saw a wounded, fiery batarian cruiser heading towards the RNS _Velum_ , a vessel that was commanded by one of Vasily's closest friends.

"RNS _Velum_ , RNS _Viridian Green_. Watch your starboard, enemy bogey on a heading straight for you!"

However, it was too late, and Admiral Mikhailov could only watch, helpless as the hostile ship, flaring with fire, screamed forwards towards the light-cruiser, spinal guns firing away blindly. The cruiser, desperate to escape, fired its emergency thrusters, yet it was to no avail—the batarian ship slammed into the UER vessel, breaking the light-cruiser into two halves. The wounded cruiser continued on its path, before crumpling altogether.

Elsewhere, a batarian cruiser's thrusters were crippled by a precise series of shots from a heavy cruiser's cannons. Dead in the water, it could do nothing as a flight of B-63 Peregrine bombers flew in, unloading a series of bombs onto the vessel. Burning with fires all over the ship, the batarian vessel was, in effect, destroyed.

However, the battle was not going completely swimmingly for the UER. The 15th Fleet had lost only a little less than the Krogan and Batarians had, and were still losing ships at the same rate. Vasily could only watch as an entire Wolf Pack on the 15th's right flank was decimated, opening a clear path for the enemy for reach Antioch.

"Comms, get me a line to the RNS _Somner_ now, get their Wolf Pack to plug that hole immediately!"

"Sir, I'm counting thirty hostile ships breaking off—they're heading for the colony!"

"Pursue them! We can't let them get to Antioch!"

Lieutenant Sanderson typed furiously, before attaining a helpless look on his face. "Too late, Admiral! They've engaged FTL, they'll be at Antioch soon."

"Then we have to hope that Perry's reserve can prevent them from landing troops onto Antioch. If not, then we'll have to depend on the ground-pounders to save the colony."

* * *

" _Phoenix_ Actual, say again, I did not catch your last. You've got reports of hostile aliens landing forces at grid sector Aegyptus?"

"Roger, I say again—hostile x-rays are landing ground forces at grid sector Aegyptus. Foot-mobiles, victors, and columns of armor. I'm also reading flights of fighters and gunships circling sector Cyrenaica."

"Copy that, _Phoenix_ Actual. Warchief out." With a heavy sigh, General Williams put down the radio, before looking at his aides. "So, it comes to this. Hostile aliens, landing on the colony." He turned to a nearby lieutenant, who was hastily reading a report. "Lieutenant, what's the progress on evacuation?"

"Sir, all of the colony's civilians have been evacuated to nearby bunkers. Able-bodied men, 40% of the civilians have been armed and armored, and are guarding their respective bunkers. Construction workers at sites SHIELD and HAMMER have been picked by Condor dropships, and all have been cleared as combat-capable. Seems that particular set of construction workers were former marines."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. What are our assets on the colony?"

"The colony's garrison is composed of the 33rd Infantry Division, detachments of the 88th Armored and the 51st Armored, the 151st Mechanized in sector Seleucia, and a unit of rangers patrolling sectors Cyrenaica, Aegyptus, and Arabia. Battlegroup Autumn was able to land their respective marine regiments, thirteen in total." The lieutenant rattled off the units. "We also have a detachment of the 13th Hazardous/High Risk Mechanized Division in the city."

"I didn't know we had Scarecrows on the colony. What are they here for?"

"Apparently, they were testing some new prototype heavy weapons. R821 Incendiary…Microwave Emitters?"

At that, General Williams shuddered—he had always been frightened by the heavy toys that the 13th H/HR Mechanized, or "Scarecrows," used. The heavy weapons were often either viciously cruel or extremely destructive. Or both.

"I want the 33rd holding the main bridge into the city, with the 51st Armored. I suspect the x-rays are going to attempt to use that as a secondary entrance, and the 33rd is relatively untested. Get the marines that landed to move their asses to the main road, and set up defenses along our side of the river. Get the 88th to support them, and have the 151st Mechanized back as a reserve."

"What about the special forces, sir?"

Williams, despite his reservations behind the brutal and vicious "Scarecrows," smirked. "We'll keep them as a secret weapon, in case any x-rays get into the city."

* * *

"Listen up, marines!" Corporal Kevin Bradley perked up, upon hearing Captain Cole's words. "Our host, the RNS _Crusader_ , is up there right now, above Antioch, and we've just got reports that hostile x-rays are landing several klicks to the south-east, sector Aegyptus." Captain Cole took a moment to look down at the map at the table, before continuing. "Orders from above are to hold the main road into the city. Colonel Capet's ordered Winter Company to hold the road at grid-square bravo-delta 51, alongside Viper, Avenger, and Misfit. We've got the 88th Armored holding position behind us, and the 151st Mechanized are somewhere, fucking each other in the ass, in the city. Anything that gets past that wall over there is free game for us. Check weapons, check armor, and make sure you don't have a foot up your ass, and let's get moving. Oorah!"

Kevin responded with the traditional marine battlecry, before turning back to his three squadmates. Staff Sergeant Steve Gray led the small four-man squad, Winter 3-2, while Private Riley Cooper acted as the squad support gunner and Petty Officer Christian Alves, a Navy attaché acted as the squad EOD technician.

Kevin? Well, he was just a regular rifleman.

"Alright, Winter 3-2. Gear up, we're heading down to the road." Gray said, while turning around, grabbing a rifle propped against a crate. He tossed it to Kevin, smirking as he did so. "Here's your SCAR, Bradley. Don't lose it this time."

Kevin caught it with ease, pulling back the charging handle. "Thanks, sarge. Why don't you just worry about yours?"

The R8 Special Combat Assault Rifle, or SCAR, was the UER's standard issue rifle. Having gone through multiple iterations, the SCAR was tried and tested over several decades of combat. It resembled the 21st century's failed XM8, and fired a an MA-31 round, a cartridge that weighed in at about 31 grains. With a capacity of 35 rounds, and a high rate of fire, any human infantryman would fall in love with the rifle.

Of course, while it resembled a traditional gunpowder-based weapon, small-arms had changed drastically since the days humanity was limited to its home planet. The UER's standard small-arms firearms utilized a modified gauss-system, christened the "Rivers-Gauss" system. The results were firearms that could pump tungsten rounds downrange at incredible velocities, and dish out punishing stopping power, while still maintaining accuracy, control, and rate of fire. Of course, the only downside to this system was that every round fired by a Rivers-Gauss weapon was a tracer—the electrical system used caused discharged rounds to glow a bright red after a certain distance, causing a dilemma in and of itself. There were methods, of course, to dimming this effect, but came with reduced velocity and range.

Kevin returned his thoughts to the present, attaching his R8 to his back, while grabbing his standard-issue R2 Crimson handgun, some fragmentation grenades, and his helmet. He slid the helmet over his head, and a moment later the helmet's HUD activated, showing his vitals, shields, and the status of his squad mates.

Sergeant Gray carried a heavily modified R8 SCAR and his traditional R71 Falx Heavy Pistol, while Cooper wielded an R260B Medium Machine Gun. Kevin raised an eyebrow when he saw Alves attaching an R76 Recoilless Rocket Accelerator alongside his own rifle. "Alves, you sure you can carry that thing without breaking your back?"

"Shut the fuck up, Bradley. I bet you wouldn't be saying that while a tank's bearing down on you and I've got this baby aimed at it."

"Alright, Alves, I'll give you that much. Just make sure to point it at the bad guys and not our own tanks, alright?"

In response, Alves simply smirked as the rest of the squad grabbed their helmets. They were about to start heading towards the defensive line, when Captain Cole gestured to them. "Winter 3-2, get over here!"

Upon reaching Captain Cole, the squad saluted. "At ease, Winter 3-2," Cole said. "I know you're about to head out towards the road, but I want you to do something for me, first. Sergeant Grays, I want your squad on the front—you've had a long history of getting things done for me, so if you can work your magic again, that'd be great." He looked behind himself, before gesturing to another man, who had several radios and devices strapped to himself and wore blue trims over his armor as opposed to the red of the Marine Corps. "This is Technical Sergeant Justin Ybarra. He's your resident ETAC from the Air Force. He'll be calling down the airstrikes and gun runs, so keep him alive and make sure to keep him posted."

"Roger, will do, Captain," Steve responded, nodding towards Ybarra. "What's the count on air support?"

"Three wings of A-15s, several Redcells, and a couple Hummingbirds. We couldn't get a hold of any fighters or bombers from the navy, so that's all we have at the moment, barring a few Condors they pinched off for transport. We do have a wing of Zeus' for recon, so we can always rely on them." Cole picked up a rifle at his feet, before walking away. "Alright, marines, let's get to the frontlines!"

"Oorah!"

* * *

"Watch the left flank, tangos advancing left!"

"Gray! Tango, hundred meters, rifle! I don't have a shot!"

"Copy, he's down. Bradley status on that marine?"

Corporal Kevin Bradley briefly looked up, before returning his focus to the downed marine at his feet. The marine coughed up blood as Kevin attempted to stabilize him. The man had been hit by shrapnel from a grenade, and had fallen immediately. "He's not in good shape, Sergeant! He's gonna need CASEVAC soon, or he's a goner."

The attack had been sudden, as before the marines could register it, a small group of hostile gunships had strafed the defensive line, taking down several marines before flying away. In the next few moments, the marines were suddenly alight from gunfire, before they responded with force. The M5S5 Phalanx tanks behind them occasionally barked with a sharp explosion, before gaseous red trails whisked overhead, streaking towards the aliens to their front. Their fellow marines were shouting over the madness, as they shot at targets to their front.

"Then leave him, Corporal! Focus on the fight!"

Bradley looked at the wounded marine one more time before turning and grabbing his rifle. To his left, Ybarra was firing away with his R64 Adaptive Combat Rifle, hitting targets left and right. Bradley left the wounded marine, returning to his cover. He leaned over, firing a few bursts, before getting back down as his shields flared several times. "Alves, target to your 30, take him down!"

Despite the surprise attack, the battle was going surprisingly well for the marines. They had quickly realized that the x-rays possessed common infantry shielding, as the UER marines did. It would take several shots from Bradley's R8 SCAR before their shields went down, and most of the time the enemy's armor wouldn't resist but a shot or two from their gauss rifles. Bradley got up once more, firing several bursts at a nearby alien. Its shields went down with the second burst, before he pegged it twice more in the stomach and once in the head with single shots. The alien went down, already dead, before a swarm of tracers came flying at Bradley.

Suddenly, hail of bullets came flying over Bradley's head, and he counted seven of the hostile aliens falling to the ground. Looking back, Bradley saw a new group of marines slide into cover nearby, along with Captain Cole himself.

"Sergeant Gray, sitrep!" Cole demanded before replacing the current magazine in his rifle with a new one.

"Sitch is decent for now, Captain, but it could deteriorate quickly! We're outnumbered, but we're holding as much as we can."

"Composition of enemy troops?"

Gray fired off a few more rounds, before moving back down. "Most of them seem to be common troopers, similar in size and strength as a regular human. Others are worse, big lizards that take a hell of a lot of shots to go down—some of them even get back up. A pack of them nearly broke through the left flank, but our tanks took care of that."

"Does the enemy have any armor?"

"Negative at this point, sir. Seems all their armor is holding back—you'll want to talk to Ybarra for that, he knows the deal."

Captain Cole nodded, before shifting towards Ybarra, to his right. "Ybarra! What's the deal on enemy armor?"

Ybarra ducked down into cover, his shields nearly broken, and took a few breaths before responding. "Bulldog 2-2 is our man in the air, he's the leader of a flight of two F/A-51 Zeus Strike Fighters. Bulldog 2-2 reported IR signatures matching armor, light and heavy rolling in slowly. Seems they sent the infantry in first to soften us up."

"Good work, airman, marine. We've got the 151st Mechanized rolling in hot as well, they'll be aiding the boys in the armor." Cole nodded once more, before firing potshots at some advancing enemies. A couple went down, and Cole returned to his cover. Suddenly, Cole's radio crackled with sound.

Nearby, Bradley continued to fire at the incoming aliens. Crouching down as his shields flared violently, he replaced his magazine and waited for his shields to recharge. He glanced around the destroyed wall he was hunkered behind and spotted several aliens running towards his position. Taking a breath, Bradley snapped around the wall, and fired off his rifle, sending one sprawling to the ground, a gaping hole in his chest. The rest scattered before returning fire.

The marines continued to hold the main road into the city for as long as they could, as the Phalanx tanks behind them maneuvered into position to intercept the incoming alien armor. Minutes later, the UER tanks were in position as the batarian armored vehicles came into view, rushing past their infantry counterparts.

"New enemy contact, armor, two hundred meters! Load sabot!"

"Loaded!"

"Fire!"

The UER M5S5 tank was one of the newest iterations of the seasoned "Phalanx" series of tanks. Armed with a deadly 150mm railgun and a T91 Rhino "Spiker" that fired miniature rockets that could pierce heavy armor, the Phalanx was a lethal match for any of its counterparts. The heavy slug fired sliced through the air and slammed into the lead batarian tank's shields. The batarian vehicle stopped in its tracks, the pure kinetic energy from the railgun enough to nearly break through its shields. The rest of the UER armored column followed suit, and suddenly, the air was filled with the gaseous red trails of the 150mm slugs tearing through the air. The batarian tanks returned fire eagerly, responding with their own tanks

"Fall back! All callsigns Winter, fall back!"

Bradley looked up to see his fellow marines leaving their positions and running back, away from the battle. The aliens attempted to pursue, but were stopped when they realized that the UER tanks were not falling back with the marines, instead holding their ground.

"Bradley, c'mon, let's go!" Sergeant Gray grabbed Bradley, pulling him up, before the two started running with the rest of Winter Company.

"Sir, what's going on? We had them held off pretty good!"

"General Williams is ordering all forces at the main road to pull back into the city—the 33rd lost control of the bridge, they were outnumbered five to one." Gray stopped for a second to fire a few shots at an enemy chasing them, until it went down. "Priority is to hold the city now."

"Who the hell is gonna cover the 88th's retreat?"

"I wouldn't worry about that. They've got A-15s covering their asses."

"Shit, I wanna see that."

* * *

"Warchief, this is Cobra 4-6, checking in for mission confirmation: flight of three A-15s, holding sector Seleucia. Angels 8. 2 ISMs, 3000 rounds for this section. Ready for tasking."

"Roger, Cobra 4-6. I have Gridiron 6, column of M5S5s, on the ground requesting immediate CAS at map grid Bravo-Delta, how copy, over?"

"Solid copy, Warchief. Moving to Line Alpha: Gridiron 1, Cobra 4-6, flight of three A-15s at Angels 8. Need target designation, over."

"Roger that, Cobra 4-6. Lasing targets."

"We see it, Gridiron 6. Moving in for gun run now."

Colonel Harvey Woolsworth, commander of the resident detachment of the 88th Armored Division, put down the laser designator and watched the skies from the gunner's seat of his Phalanx tank. Within seconds, the aliens in front of the 88th Armored were torn apart by a sudden hailstorm of 40mm rounds fired at 5,000 rounds per minute. Both infantry and armor were shred to pieces as two of the three A-15 fighters soared overhead, hundreds of rounds spent in seconds. A moment later, one last A-15 speared through the air above the enemy positions, dropping its own payload as it did so. Two M294 Integrated Strike Missiles, or ISMs, were released by the final A-15, detonating on the ground. Instantly, a large portion of the initial survivors were vaporized, while more were disoriented or thrown through the air.

As the A-15s performed their gun run, Colonel Woolsworth returned to the inside of his tank, before transmitting to the rest of his armored detachment. "All callsigns Gridiron, pull back into the city. Eyes peeled, cannons hot, and shells loaded. Let's leave any pursuers to the Scarecrows."

* * *

Deeper in the city, two teams of the 13th Hazardous/High Risk Mechanized Division, also known as "Scarecrows," stood in the abandoned shadows of the urban population center, waiting for any signs of the incoming aliens. Sergeant Lee Johnson crept up to a ground-floor window, clutching his R821 Incendiary Microwave Emitter, lovingly nicknamed the Microwave. One would think that a man clad in a hulking, armored EOD/HAZMAT suit could not, by any possible means, be stealthy, yet Johnson, along with the rest of his team, nearly blended in with the shadows, ready to launch a devastating ambush.

"Bravo-4, eyes front. Enemy foot-mobiles, fifty meters, coming down the street. You got eyes on?"

Johnson looked back at one of his five squadmates, then back forward, raising the heavy weapon in his hands. "Affirmative, Bravo-2. Alert Bravo-6, and set positions for ambush. Mark: 2 o'clock, street sign, twenty meters."

"Copy. Bravo-6, Bravo-2. Enemy foot-mobiles advancing up the street, 2-4 has set ambush point at target—uploading to TacSight now."

"Acknowledged, Bravo-2. Alpha-1 also acknowledges ambush mark. All callsigns Bravo, sound off for ambush."

"Bravo-1 is green."

"Bravo-2 is green."

"Bravo-3 green."

"Bravo-4 green."

"5 is green. All callsigns ready."

"Ambush is a go. All callsigns Bravo, engage on my mark. 3…2…1…Mark!"

As soon as Johnson's team leader sounded off the beginning of the ambush, he aimed his IME at the nearest concentration of enemy troops. Pulling the trigger, the IME lit up a bright orange before emitting a concentrated cone of microwaves. Within seconds, the targeted group of aliens was lit alight, and their screams filled the air as their armor melted onto their skin and their flesh and bones melted into slime. Their blood coagulated, and eventually, the aliens were melted into a steaming pool of radiation. The R821 IME was definitely a cruel weapon, condemned by every single human rights organization in the UER, and would have broken every single clause of the Geneva Convention in the 21st Century.

It fit the needs of the sadistic H/HR Mechanized Division perfectly.

Elsewhere, his team leader, Bravo-6, engaged the aliens with his R260B Medium Machine Gun, tearing apart hostiles unfortunate enough to be caught in the open with 7.65x61mm rounds at 920 rounds per minute, and Bravo-2 opened up with his R14 Infantry Concussion Rifle. The ICR propelled large rounds at extreme velocities at the enemy, whereupon they would airburst, sending major shockwaves amongst the aliens. The rest of Bravo team also fired their respective weapons and heavy weapons, as did Alpha team across the street. Within seconds, the entirety of the batarian infantry column - numbering nearly a hundred troopers - were decimated to the last man, toxic residue, blasted body parts, and piles of ash littering the street where they once marched.

"All targets eliminated. Nice job, Bravo team. Setting waypoint on your TacSights. Check weapons, check ammo, check armor, and let's move. Break; Alpha-6, Bravo team is oscar mike. We'll rendezvous at the next ambush site."

Johnson took a moment to appreciate the devastation in front of him before hoisting his IME and jogging to the next spot where, hopefully, the H/HR Mechanized might get a bit of a bigger challenge.

Oh, it was an absolute joy to roast the enemies of the UER alive.

 **CODEX:**

 **Battlecruiser: Backbone of the RAF Navy.**

Viridian-Class Battlecruiser: 1,500 meters long, 385 meters wide.

Ship of the Line: RNS _Viridian Green_

Specialty: Capital Ship, Heavy Fire Support

Armaments:

 **Main Guns:** 2 Spinal-Mounted HMCs

 **Broadsides:** 250 LGCs

 **Missiles:** 14 Raven Missile Pods—7 each side. 60 missiles each.

 **Torpedoes:** 4 Fracture Torpedo Pods—2 front, 1 on each side. 4 torpedoes each.

 **Point Defense:** 250 60mm Gauss Gatling Rifles

 **Orbital Bombardment:** 5 OB Mini MCs

 **Shielding:** 45,000 kilotons

100 Spacecraft

3,000 Marines—One Regiment

 **Vector-Class Battlecruiser: 1,375 meters long, 365 meters wide.**

Ship of the Line: RNS _Vector_

Specialty: Capital Ship, Mainstay Battlecruiser

Armaments:

 **Main Guns: 2** Spinal Mounted HMCs

 **Broadsides:** 225 LGCs

 **Missiles:** 15 Raven Missile Pods—7 each side, 1 front. 5 missiles each.

 **Point Defense:** 300 60mm Gauss Gatling Rifles

 **Orbital Bombardment:** 3 OB Mini MCs

 **Shielding:** 45,000 kilotons

100 Spacecraft

3,000 Marines—One Regiment

 **13th Hazardous/High Risk Mechanized Division: H/HR Mechanized, Scarecrows. Delta Group**

The only true mechanized Special Forces unit in the UER, the Hazardous/High Risk Mechanized Division, or H/HR Mechanized for short, specializes in elite battlefield operations where fast moving armor and infantry support are required. However, their main duties lay in operations that are either extremely hazardous to normal units, have a very high risk, or present an extreme challenge that requires elite mechanized finesse. The H/HR Mechanized are thus equipped with state-of-the-art heavy armor, EOD/HAZMAT-suits, and weapons with on-board life-support and environmental protection suites, while their armored vehicles are similarly protected. However, members of the H/HR Mechanized are known for their sadistic tendencies.

 **R821 Incendiary Microwave Emitter (R821 IME)**

Range: 20m/30m/50m/70m/90m

A new UER weapon, straight out of Research and Development, the R821 IME, christened the "Microwave" by active combat forces, is a heavy DEW weapon utilized by heavy UER forces. It emits a concentrated cone of microwaves, designed to burn, incapacitate, and flush out hostile infantry. It has a rather gruesome effect, having a tendency to burn the skin off of those affected at close to medium range. It can be used as a direct support or combat weapon, or can be used to suppress and flush out enemies from behind cover, depending on the mode in which it is used. Prolonged usage, approximately two minutes of sustained use, will overheat the weapon, causing the need for a lengthy period of cooling (45 seconds to fully cool after 2 minutes of use). The range can be adjusted for wide, short range waves or narrow, long range waves.

 **R8 Special Combat Assault Rifle (R8 SCAR)**

(Republic-8 Series 5)

Muzzle Velocity: 2,500 meters per second.

Uses MA-31 Rounds.

RoF: 825 RPM

Capacity: 35 Rounds per Magazine

Force: 2401.00 ft-lbf

RAF's Standard Issue Rifle

 **R2 Crimson**

(Republic-2 Crimson)

Muzzle Velocity: 1650 meters per second.

Uses MA-20 Rounds.

RoF: 460 RPM

Capacity: 20 rounds

Force: 674.76 ft-lbf

UER and RAF's standard issue handgun/sidearm.

 **R260B Medium Machine Gun (R265B MMG)**

Muzzle Velocity: 2720 meters per second.

Uses MA-49 Rounds.

RoF: 920 RPM

Capacity: 250 rounds per belt

Force: 4492.46 ft-lbf

Standard Issue RAF MMG, for platoon-based medium fire support.

 **R71 Falx**

(Republic-71 Falx)

Muzzle Velocity: 1750 meters per second

Uses MA-90 Rounds.

RoF: 225 RPM

Capacity: 12 rounds

Force: 3415.62 ft-lbf

High-powered sidearm, comparable to 21st century Desert Eagle. Optional Standard Issue for officers.

 **R64 Adaptive Combat Rifle**

(Republic-64 ACR)

Muzzle Velocity: 2400 meters per second

Uses MA-49

RoF: 620 RPM

Capacity: 28 Rounds, eight to twelve magazines.

Force: 3497.59 ft-lbf

Specialized Burst Battle Rifle. Can quickly put two rounds down long ranges with extreme accuracy.

 **R76 Recoilless Rocket Accelerator (R76 RRA)**

Range: 700m

RoF: 150 RPM

30mm Compact Anti-Vehicle Rockets

Capacity: 7 rockets per magazine.

The R76 is a favorite weapon amongst UER military forces, suitable for engagements against hostile armor, vehicles, buildings, and infantry alike. Utilizing a small, compact rocket, the R76 is fired from the shoulder, to be aimed at suitable hostile targets. Using a chained gauss system, the rockets are fired at high velocities, and emit a bright red glow when traveling through the air. They do moderate damage against armor, and at most five shots in a concentrated location will pierce heavy armor. The rockets can be configured for high-explosive capabilities meant for anti-infantry roles, but will do minimal damage against armor. On a typical UER battlefield, it is common to see scores of the familiar red streaks flying across towards enemy targets and locations.

 **R14 Infantry Concussion Rifle (ICR)**

Range: Up to 650m

Capacity: 10 rounds per magazine.

The R14 Concussion Rifle is a downsizing of the concussion weapons generally found on UER vehicles. It uses the same principle of utilizing a gauss-system to magnetically propel a round at extreme velocities at a target, upon which it detonates or airbursts, causing a lethal, near-lethal, or incapacitating concussion shockwave. Used as a platoon, or squad, support weapon, the R14 is best used for suppression, crowd control, or other scenarios where enemies are bunched together in even slightly exposed areas.

 **M5S5 Phalanx—Primary Tank**

Mark 5-Series 5

Primary: R87 150mm Heavy Railgun

Secondary: .60 Gauss Heavy Machine Gun

Gunner: T91 Rhino Multi-Repeating Spiker (Rhino MRS)

Shaped like NC Vanguard from Planetside 2.

Four Man Crew—Commander, Driver, Main Gunner, Second Gunner

Automatic (AI) Loading

Tracked

 **A-15 Hippeus**

20.4 meters long

A true close-air support attack fighter, the Hippeus is primarily used in conjunction with ground forces for assaults, sometimes danger-close, against enemy formations, structures, etc. It is not used for space-based operations.

Primary: L35 40mm Gauss High-Explosive/Armor-Piercing Gatling Cannon (L35 HE/AP GC)

Secondary: M294 Integrated Strike Missiles (M294 ISM) (8 missiles)

Crew: 1, Pilot

Tier 1AV Shields

 **AM-31 Redcell Rapid Reaction Gunship**

21.1 meters long

The UER and RAF's mainline gunship, specialized for heavy close air support, overwatch, and limited troop transport. Heavily armed and armored.

Primary: SE-2 25mm Gauss Canister Repeater (SE-2 GCR)

Secondary: K/L-67 M-HE/AP GM

Tertiary: M23 Heavy Canister/Concussion Rifle (M23 HC/C)

Quaternary: 6 Havoc Missile Pods, 20 missiles each

Crew: 3, Pilot, Co-Pilot, Gunner

Passengers: 6

Tier 2AV Shields

Limited Cargo

 **UT-441 Condor Multirole Dropship**

22.5 meters long

The UER and RAF's main troop transport, is also used in MEDEVAC, CASEVAC, gunship, specialized variants based on specific roles.

Primary: K/L-67 Mongoose High Explosive/Armor Piercing Gauss Minigun (K/L-67 M-HE/AP GM)

Secondary: K112 .308 Anti-Personnel Deck Gun (K112 .308 AP)

Crew: 4, Pilot, Co-Pilot, Navigator, Door Gunner

Passengers: 14

Tier 2AV Shields

Cargo

 **F/A-51 Zeus Armored Strike Fighter**

19.4 meters long

More of a space/air version of a shock-trooper or tank, the UER and RAF utilize the heavily armed and armored Zeus for high-risk assaults against enemy targets.

Primary: L28 50mm Rotary Gauss Cannon

Secondary: L78 95mm Swivel-Laser Assisted Assault Gun (S-LAAG)

Tertiary: M421 Multirole Swivel Missile (6 magazines, 12 missiles each)

Crew: 3, Pilot, Gunner, Technician

Tier 1AV Shields

 **AM-9 Hummingbird Multi-Mission Gunship**

A small gunship, fitted with mush less weapons than the Redcell, the Hummingbird is a small multi-mission gunship primarily used for special operations. It is extremely fast and agile, true to the name of Hummingbird, but cannot hold up in long, extended firefights with larger gunships. It can be likened to the 21st century MH-6 Littlebird in role and ability.

Primary: 2 K/L-67 Mongoose High Explosive/Armor Piercing Gauss Miniguns (K/L-67 M-HE/AP GM)

Secondary: 2 Havoc Missile Pods, 6 missiles each

Crew: 2, Pilot, Co-Pilot

Passengers: 4

Tier 2AV Shields

No Cargo

 **TacSight Helmet-Mounted Suites**

TacSight Sentry: Shows the user the paths of incoming projectiles.

TacSight Overwatch: A tactical suite that allows the user to mark important hostiles, objects, places, coordinates, targets, etc. on the battlefield and relay the information to the rest of his/her squad, platoon, etc.

TacSight Vision: Features many optics, such as infrared, night vision, thermal, sonar, magnetic, and element zero vision.

IRNV—Infrared Night Vision

NV—Night Vision

FLIR—Forward Looking Infrared

SNRI—Sonar Imaging

MGVS—Magnetic Vision System

EZOV—Element Zero Vision

TacSight Marker: Used predominantly by grenadiers, demolitions, and heavy weapons, this utility gives those who use it detailed information on many things pertaining to their fields of expertise.

 **Author's Note:**

Boy, those Hazardous/High Risk Mechanized guys are absolutely vicious, huh? It's almost as if the UER isn't the "good" faction!"

Oh, wait, they aren't. No one is.

Despite that, I hope you guys enjoyed the fourth chapter of _The Inheritance of Man_. Make sure to review, and leave some constructive criticism for me. Lord knows I could use it.

Also, I want you guys to give a warm welcome to Archangel1207. He's my new beta, and has helped me immensely on this chapter, and developing the story as a whole, not just on writing itself, but on plot development, and military/technological specifics. I might as well name him a co-writer at this point, heh heh…heh…

One thing: I have completely overhauled some of the codex information in the first three chapters. Be sure to take a look at those again.

Another thing: I realize when you look at the codex entries for the vehicles, there's a lot of weapons and weapon names. Do you guys want codex entries for the vehicle weapons as well? Cause that's gonna be a lot of stuff in the codex. I could also do what Archangel did, and make a separate forum for Mass Effect for a _The Inheritance of Man_ codex.

Also, I realized I forgot to add some Codex entries to the last chapter. So, they've been added to this chapter.

 **Individual Replies:**

Szierera: Thanks for the good words. And I wouldn't worry—humanity definitely isn't the cookie-cutter "good guys," as you'll probably see in this story, most likely with ORI. I've also completely overhauled the magnetic cannons along with my new beta, Archangel. Thanks for introducing him to me, by the way.

Haywire Eagle: Thank you too for the feedback. Like I said with Szierera, I've completely overhauled the magnetic cannons with the help of my new beta, so hopefully that isn't as "hard to swallow" no mo'.


	5. Chapter 5: Prelude, Part 4

**Disclaimer: I own nothing besides the UER.**

The room was silent, as its occupants gazed at one another, wondering what had brought them all together. Most of the stares and looks were benign, but most of those that inhabited the room regarded one character with suspicion.

Admiral Mary Ishimura knew of the others' mistrust of her. She was, after all, the Director of the feared - and sometimes hated - Office of Republic Intelligence. She was the one behind all of the secretive research and experiments ORI performed. She was the one in charge of espionage and internal affairs within the UER. Mary Ishimura was the one who controlled the intelligence behemoth that was the Office of Republic Intelligence. And they feared her for it - _hated_ her for it.

They did not realize that all she did - all that _ORI_ did - was for the sole purpose of protecting humanity from all threats, external _and_ internal.

With her in the room were several other key figures of the United Earth Republic; General Milburn Newton, the current overarching commander of the UER Army of CENTCOM; General August Lindgren, of the UER Marine Corps and EXPECOM; Admiral Gwynn Eirian, the commander behind most of the UER's special operations units, under SPECWARCOM; and Admiral Qamar Abdullah, the current commanding officer of LOGCOM, the logistics powerhouse behind the Republic's military. These were the officials that, together, substantiated HIGHCOM.

There was also the civilian side of the congregation; Laura Warren, the Treasurer; Emerson Woodham, the Director of Commerce; and Senator Vinh Nguyen, the current Head of the Senate, amongst others. They were only missing one person, the one who always seemed to be late amongst them. And it annoyed the pragmatic, stoic ORI Director to no end.

Suddenly, the sole entrance to the room slid open, and in walked a stoutly man, one Admiral of the Navy Geoffrey Toussaint. The leader of NAVCOM, and the current head of the UER Elected Council - in effect, the leader of the United Earth Republic overall.

"Thank you all, for coming here on such short notice." Without hesitation, Toussaint sat down in his seat at the head of the table, before regarding each of the other occupants with a hard stare. "I'm sure most of you are wondering why I've called an emergency meeting of the Elected Council and High Command."

Before he could continue, Director Woodham interrupted, standing up with brash notions. "That is a large understatement, Admiral. I know the military has its secrets, and its own business, but this is outrageous." He took a moment to slap his hand on some of his documents on the table before continuing. "Trade has been disrupted, civilian transport has been delayed, sometimes even terminated altogether! All of the economic facets of the civilian side of the United Earth Republic have been shoehorned, and I demand _answers_!"

The Admiral of the Navy waited patiently for Woodham to finish, before raising a hand in a placating manner. "And, Mister Woodham, if you would _let me finish_ , I will give those answers."

"It is a simple matter to tell you all that the United Earth Republic is under attack by unknown alien forces."

The various officials of the Elected Council shuffled in their seats, eager to hear more news. "November 14th, 2253, the colony of Antioch was assaulted by a large fleet of hostile aliens, shortly after making diplomatic contact with a different group of aliens. I'm sure you've all heard of the initial first contact made by one Captain Hans Shepard, but I'm afraid the situation has escalated. Antioch is under siege, and UER military forces are engaged in a desperate battle for the colony."

"As such, UER High Command has seen fit to mobilize the entirety of the United Earth Republic military. While we've always been on high alert in preparation for any potential Insurrection attacks, the military is now fully posted for any instance of total war against another sovereign power. That, Mister Woodham, is why civilian commerce and trade has been interrupted as such."

Fully cowed, the Director of Commerce sat down, mind racing at the possibilities of full war with an alien species. "I understand, sir."

"As such, I have ordered the 32nd Fleet to leave Braxton IV, and rush to reinforce the 15th at Antioch. The rest of the UER military is readying for war, whatever the circumstance, and I have received one final transmission from Admiral Vasily Mikhailov of the 15th that the friendly faction of aliens, deemed the " _Citadel Council_ ," is calling for us to send an ambassador to their Citadel, whatever that is. Senator Nguyen, you're in charge of that." The man in question nodded.

"Gentlemen, ladies. The United Earth Republic is now committed to this war. What happens next is unknown, but whatever happens, we _will triumph_. You all know what to do—I'll be sending detailed dossiers of your tasks at hand. Dismissed." He stood up with the others, the meeting adjourned, and all of the occupants of the room saluted, before leaving together.

* * *

"Tell me again, Lieutenant. Here I stand, at the precipice of possibly the most momentous event in the entire history of humanity, and yet, you want me to completely ignore any chances of inserting our agents deep within alien ranks. What are you suggesting?"

The lieutenant in question tried his best not to tremble before the woman in front of him, his mind working in overdrive. "N-nothing, ma'am. I'm simply saying that we shouldn't delegate agents already infiltrated within Insurrection ranks to be pulled out and instead inserted into alien territory. It's illogical, ma'am, to ignore decades' worth of time infiltrating Insurrection cells."

"And yet, that was not at all what I intended to do, Lieutenant. I appreciate your concerns, but they are, overall, unnecessary."

"Y-y-yes, ma'am." The man gave a hasty salute, before leaving the room. As he left, another man entered, ignoring the lieutenant's lack of a salute towards him.

"Colonel Nelson. Glad to have you here."

The new man saluted, before smiling at the woman who greeted him. "Mary, Mary, I expected more than that. You did promise wine the last time we talked."

The woman, Mary Ishimura, frowned, but retained the hint of a smirk. "Nelson, you can stick that wine up your ass. I promised no such thing." She stood up from her seat, before turning around. "Now, Nelson, this is a matter of serious importance. Get your game face on."

"Yes, ma'am."

"I'm sure you've heard all about the hostile alien contact, and the battle going on right now on Antioch. It's been the talk of the entirety of ORI. The problem is, while the rest of the UER is focused entirely on Antioch, nobody is paying attention to the rest of the galaxy." The Director of ORI turned back around, putting her hands on her desk. "We've got an entire galaxy of aliens, and we need to know _what exactly is out there_. This is where you come in. Nelson, I want you to set up a task force to infiltrate alien ranks, both hostile and friendly. That means you'll need to set up two separate teams."

"Yes, ma'am. Anything else?"

"Yes, Colonel. I'm giving you a blank check for this. Any assets you need, any resources you need, you'll get. After these initial operations, we'll be slowly growing the amount of agents in alien territory, but for now, you're all I'm allocating."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll notify teams Silent Lamb and Black Eye immediately."

"BAC-SIG, eh? I like your style, Nelson. Go see Captain Wickerson to prepare. Like I said, anything you need, you'll get. Dismissed."

* * *

Corporal Kevin Bradley looked out the window of the apartment building, tightly grasping his rifle as he did so. He watched for even the slightest hint of movement outside, having set his TacSight to Night Vision. The night air of Antioch was humid, yet silent, as moon continued to slowly creep across the sky.

"Anything yet, Bradley?"

He looked to his left to see another marine on watch, this one carrying an R72 Enhanced Marksman's Rifle with an attached scope.

"Nothing yet, Soucy. Keep watch on that building across the street, that's a critical chokepoint there."

"Roger."

Since the initial engagement at the outskirts of the city, the marines had pulled back to the interior. The 88th and 51st Armored had set up watch in the town center, rotating shifts in their tanks, while the Army was spread out throughout the city. Last they had heard the Rangers outside of the city were stalking the enemy, now discovered to be _batarians_ and _krogan_.

The marines, however, were in charge of holding critical chokepoints throughout the city. Winter Company, Avenger Company, and Misfit Company had been tied together, and, at the current moment, were spread amongst several apartment buildings, while Viper was out reinforcing the 151st Mechanized to the north. The enemy had already attempted several assaults on the buildings, yet to no avail as the marines held their ground again and again, As night fell, the aliens pulled back, probably hoping to gather their strength.

It was probable that the enemy was planning an assault during the night, so the marines were fully active and on watch.

At the same time, it was heard that the H/HR Mechanized, whom had caused no small amounts of chaos amongst enemy ranks, had pulled back, after destroying a portion of the enemy forces. They were resting, and thus, the marines couldn't count on Scarecrow aid this time.

Bradley hastily checked the TacPad on his wrist. _0530 hours._ Dawn would likely arrive in a few minutes—the enemy was most likely to attack soon, if ever.

Suddenly, Bradley saw something shift down on the ground. He immediately raised his rifle, aiming at the movement, while changing his TacSight to IRNV—Infrared Night Vision. His visor, while already flooded with green light, shifted to show heat signatures, and he could see a spot of red, yellow, and orange at the spot he was aiming at. He kept watch on it, when suddenly, he saw a mass of heat rushing from a nearby street.

"Movement! Ground level, 3 o'clock!"

At the same time, however, Soucy, the other marine on watch, trained his DMR on a nearby building. "I've got movement, apartment building across the street, fifth floor!" The two marines looked at each other, confirming the other's statements, when a hail of tracers suddenly flew into the windows. Bradley dove to the ground, grabbing hold of the radio nearby.

"Contact, contact! Enemy forces in apartment buildings across the street and on the ground level!"

The marines throughout the rest of the buildings returned fire on the enemy, and red tracers immediately filled the air, some hitting their marks. "Soucy, status!" Bradley got up, and looked towards Soucy, only to see the marine dead on the ground, a bloody hole in his chest. Thinking quickly, Bradley rushed towards the corpse, before picking up the dead marine's R72 EMR. Bradley slammed his back against the wall under the window, breathing heavily. After a moment's rest, the marine grasped the rifle, and peeked over the windowsill. He trained the DMR at the nearest batarian he could see and pulled the trigger three times. The first shot nearly broke through its shields, making it stumble. The second broke the shields entirely, and sent it sprawling to the ground, before the third pierced its head, leaving a gaping hole in between the lower pair of eyes. In return, a mass of tracers flew towards Bradley, and he ducked down, dust flying through the air.

A few seconds later, the nearby door into the room slammed open, and Bradley aimed his rifle, before spotting Gray, Cooper, Alves, and Ybarra entering the room. "Bradley, you alright?"

"I'm good, sir. Soucy's down, though. Alien fuckers managed to surprise us."

"Alright, Alves, pull Soucy's body back into a safe position. Ybarra, Bradley, cover Cooper as he sets up his gun. Rest of our guys are holding apartment blocks bravo and charlie, so alpha's up to us."

"Any reason they left the entirety of this building to one squad, sarge?"

"This building is out of the way, Alves, means we don't need to focus as much on it. Same case with building delta."

Bradley and Ybarra crept up against the windows again, before laying down suppressing fire. As they did so, Cooper set up his R260B Medium Machine Gun on a bipod, and, when finished, began to lay into the aliens in the street. Alves soon joined them, and within seconds, the entire squad was shooting down at the aliens on the ground."

"Sir, what about building delta? X-rays have control of that, who's covering that one?"

"Avenger 4-1 went in there and cleared it out already, they're preparing an MGL right now. No worries about that."

"Cooper, cover right, new targets coming in through street level!"

"Roger! Suppressing fire!"

"I'm reloading! Alves, cover me!"

Suddenly, Bradley's vision was blinded, as a bright light beamed into existence in the air. "God damnit! Fuck, my eyes are burning!" Bradley hastily turned his IRNV off in his visor, before sitting back. Sergeant Gray ducked down, before looking at him.

"Bradley, you alright? Don't take your helmet off!"

"I'm good, sir. You see what that light was?"

Gray fired a few rounds out the window, before crouching back down. "Fuckers shot off a few illumination mortars into the sky above the apartments. Doesn't affect them much, but they can see us now, and every marine that had his IRNV on is now blinded. Which means a lot of us."

"Fuck, my eyes hurt. Alright, I'm good, I'm good." Noticing the growing orange and red in the sky above, Bradley looked back down at his TacPad for a second, before noticing the time. "0545 hours, sarge! Dawn's about to hit!"

As he said that, Bradley was interrupted by a sudden light beaming down from the east, behind the enemies on the ground. Slowly, the Ajax System's sun, Alexander, rose over the horizon, and the light gradually revealed the mass of enemies on the ground.

"Holy hell, that's a fuckton more than I thought there were! Where did they all come from?"

The light had revealed the enemy, yes, but it had shown them that the marines were much more outnumbered than they originally thought they had been. The aliens on the ground seemed to look like a colony of ants, rushing about and about, while firing back up at the marines in the buildings, with more streaming in from the street.

"Don't worry about how many they are, keep firing! Hold them off!"

Bradley got back up, once more grasping his commandeered R72, and fired several rounds at the enemy. He saw a few hostiles go down, and ducked down before the aliens could respond. "Cooper! How many rounds you got left in that belt?" In response, Cooper continued to fire, until his machine gun stopped spitting out rounds.

"No more left! Cover me as I reload!"

However, with the threat of a machine gun gone, the batarians closest to apartment block alpha rose up, firing waves of rounds at Winter 3-2. The squad was forced to duck down at once, before they could be skewered by projectiles. Sergeant Gray crawled back, before turning his radio on. "Winter 6, Winter 3-2, we are pinned down in block alpha, need immediate assistance!" With a quick peek over the windowsill, Gray could see several batarians hacking down the front doors to the apartment building, before rushing in. "Enemy troops are heading inside the building at ground level, need immediate assistance, over!"

"Negative, Winter 3-2. Gridiron is inbound on the ground, ETA five mikes. Get to the rooftops now, and hold them off, over."

"Sir, we're cut off! We're done if we don't get more marines here right now, alpha's being flooded by hostile troops!"

"Negative, sergeant, we can't afford to send any more marines. Winter 6 out."

"God damnit, Cole. Alright, Winter 3-2, get your backs to the window and watch the door. They'll be coming in soon, we need to hold for five more minutes." Gray grasped his rifle, laying prone on the ground.

"Alright, game plan is to get to the rooftop. Unless we can get topside, we're done. Got it?" The rest of the squad stated their affirmations, before grabbing making ready, while Ybarra relayed the orders through the radio.

For a few seconds, the marines of Winter 3-2 watched the one door into the room, while listening for any signs of incoming batarians. They could hear shouts, and the sounds of heavy boots running up the emergency stairs, before suddenly, a batarian walked in. The alien was immediately filled with bullets, and fell to the ground, looking very much like an alien fillet. "Alright, Winter 3-2, move up, move up! Get out of the room, it's a death trap now!"

The five marines rushed forwards, firing upon a few more batarians who entered the room, before exiting the room. "Bradley, cover our six, we're moving up the building!"

"Copy!" Bradley stuck to the tail of the small squad, aiming his rifle back as he watched for any pursuing batarians. A few came around the corner, and were promptly shot down by Bradley. As the squad reached the stairs, and started to ascend, Bradley could see the shadows of incoming batarians, elongated by the sun shining in through the windows of the building. "Keep moving up, they're on our tail!"

"Wait, wait, Gray! They're retreating! Look!"

Bradley looked back, along with the rest of his squad, to see that Alves' words rang true. The batarians on their tail had turned around, and were now fleeing downstairs, eventually exiting the building altogether. Outside, the squad could hear the familiar sounds of Phalanx tanks firing off their massive guns.

"Looks like Gridiron got here in time."

* * *

"New target, 45 by 30, hard to port, and ready broadsides!"

"Firing lanes clear, sir!"

"Fire!"

The RNS _Viridian Green_ let out a loose shudder, before the entirety of its starboard flank erupted with bursts. A full salvo of heavy slugs tore through space, before impacting on a nearby krogan cruiser, causing a slew of explosions within the alien vessel. It slowly drifted to the side, corpses floating out of the newly made hull breaches, and Admiral Vasily Mikhailov switched his attention to another hostile dreadnought in front of him, noting the previous vessel as destroyed.

"Tactical, how do our shields look?"

"They're at 45 percent, admiral! Wolf Pack Haverson really took the pressure off of us back there."

"Remind me to buy Captain Umoja a drink after this. Comms, what's the status of the fleet?"

Lieutenant Sandersonraced his fingers across his console, reading different reports from the various remaining vessels of the 15th Fleet. "Casualties are at 40 percent, sir! The enemy fleet's lost 68 percent of their forces—that initial jump into their lines really gave us the advantage."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Tactical, new target, 12 o'clock, fire both main guns!"

Two 5 ton slugs raced across the open space, before impacting upon the alien dreadnought in front of the _Viridian Green_. Its already weakened shields flared violently, before, with a surreal _crash_ , the blue aura around the vessel seemed to dissipate, leaving the dreadnought defenseless.

"Helm, bring us down so that their underside is exposed! Tactical, arm both bow torpedoes, and get me a firing solution on that ship's hull."

"Torpedoes armed and ready, admiral!"

Vasily waited until the underbelly of the batarian dreadnought in front of the _Viridian Green_ was fully exposed, before giving the order to fire both armed torpedoes. The BLU-97 Fracture Torpedoes streaked towards their target, giving off a bright red stream of gas and light as they did so, and, after a few moments, impacted against the vulnerable hull of the batarian dreadnought.

Fracture torpedoes were, without a doubt, one of the most important, and devastating, weapons in the UER's naval arsenal. Though they did minimal, almost superficial damage against shields, the Fracture torpedoes utilized a thermobaric reaction to completely devastate any vulnerable vessel they were aimed at. Due to the lack of oxygen in space, the torpedoes carried an internal pocket of oxygen, piercing the targeted vessel before detonating its payloadat such high frequencies and yields that they rivaled nuclear and hydrogen-based explosives, and had a side-effect of producing sonic blasts.

In short, they could easily shred a vulnerable ship to pieces from the inside out if hit in a critical location.

And, in short, the batarian dreadnought, hit in such a weak part of its hull, proceeded to evaporate in the space it once inhabited, unable to cope with such a fatal weapon.

"Tactical, how're our pilots doing out there?"

"They're hanging on, admiral, but they're highly outnumbered. Sabre Actual reported that their strike craft seem to be of generally lower quality than ours, but that's the only word we've gotten so far."

Admiral Mikhailov simply nodded, before, once again, gazing into the tactical view, gauging the 15th's next moves.

* * *

1st Lieutenant Ryan "Maester" Kovac deftly rolled his F-41 Fighter to the side, narrowly dodging incoming debris, before engaging his thrusters and pulling forwards, towards the waypoint on his HMD visor. "Ozone-1, this is Ozone-6, pulling ahead towards waypoint alpha, we still got mission confirmation?"

"Affirmative, 6, stay in your lane, Ozone Squadron is inbound on the waypoint in T-minus ten seconds, out."

Within seconds, Ryan had reached the waypoint, before rolling his fighter to the left and turning on a dime. Not a moment after, five other Kestrel fighters had joined his, and he assumed his position on the right flank of the formation.

"All callsigns Ozone, mission from the RNS _Number Misfit_ is green, orders are to link up with Gungnir, flight of three B-63 Peregrine Bombers, and escort them on a fire mission on Target Lima, one-point-two kilometer vessel, marked red on your HMDs. We've got a maximum of ten mikes for this mission, so make your pursuits count. Turn on heading 3-1-0, and let's roll. Good Hunting, Ozone."

As the naval battle in the Ajax System had continued, Admiral Vasily Mikhailov had seen fit to detach one of the 15th's designated Wolf Packs, led by the RNS _Number Misfit,_ a Vector-Class Battlecruiser, from the main formation. Mikhailov had tasked the _Number Misfit_ with aiding the battle as it evolved, and soon, orders had come from the admiral to scramble fighters and bombers for emergency missions.

As it was, the various strike craft of the _Number Misfit_ were tasked with weakening a hostile vessel whose shields were downed, deemed a "batarian dreadnought," which was now marked as Target "Lima." After an initial poke into enemy fighter screens, Ozone Squadron was pulled back, and had been readied for their primary mission.

Ryan's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden crackle in his ear, and he could hear the voice of his wingman—err, wing _woman_ , he corrected, one Jennifer Hawkins. "Hey, Maester, first mission, right?"

Ryan's squadron of six Kestrel fighters, _Ozone Squadron_ , was originally a unit of five, until Ryan Kovac, fresh out of the UER's "elite" flight training school, "Zero Mike Zulu," had been attached to Ozone Squadron. Initially, Ryan had been incredibly nervous of facing actual _real_ combat—he was what many would call timid, shy, _demure,_ even, though that adjective was generally reserved for members of the fairer sex. The young pilot of polish descent, only 18 years of age, was socially inept, and could not identify with the other members of Ozone Squadron, despite their continuous efforts of welcoming him into their fold. Ryan had always hated combat, and always shied away from the thought of killing others.

Flying though, was where Ryan belonged. _Flying_ was where he was completely comfortable, where he was _in his element_ —nowhere else, in no other situation, would he be as relaxed and tempered. And when the other members of Ozone Squadron had first seen Ryan in action, in a flight exercise, they had quickly slapped the nickname of _Maester_ on him, to exemplify his skill in piloting his F-41 Kestrel Space/Air Superiority Fighter.

"I, uh, I would have to say yes to that, Hawkins. Haven't seen combat, before, uh, ma'am."

"Don't ma'am me, Maester. We're the same rank. Ah, but still, cheer up, right? You'll get used to it in no time, so get those butterflies outta' your stomach!"

"Erm, yes ma'am, I mean, Hawkins. Will do—"

"Cut the chatter, Ozone dash 5, 6. We're inbound on waypoint bravo, link up is in T-minus fifteen. Get your game face on."

Nodding, Ryan swallowed any remnants of saliva in his mouth, before tightening and loosening his hold on the fighter's controls. A bit later, the squadron joined up with a formation of three B-63 Peregrine Bombers, and Ozone assumed positions around the bombers, in a threatening and protective manner.

"Ozone-3, 4, radar contact, closing fast on your port. Tally two, no IFF tone back, marked bogeys. Break left, break left."

"Copy, Ozone-1. Breaking left, on heading 2-8-5."

As their words echoed through the comms, the two F-41 Kestrels on the left side of the formation broke off, thrusting off towards the left. As they did so, two crafts approached to Ozone's front, and seemed to move away as well, seemingly tailing Ozone-2 and 3."

"Ozone, Ozone, new radar contacts, closing fast from our starboard. Tally six, IFF tones back hostiles, marked bandits. Brace, brace."

Moments later, Ryan's view was filled with tracers, and suddenly six fighters of unknown make streaked past, and his shields flared, decreasing by an insignificant amount.

"Bandits, bandits! Dash 2, 5, 6, engage, break right, break right!"

Ryan, along with his wing _mate_ , as he deemed appropriate, and Ozone-2, broke right off the formation, and Ryan found himself on the tail of one of the batarian fighters, tracking it as it weaved and bobbed through space, attempting to lose him. "Ozone-5, they're splitting! I'm engaging, pushing to bandit marked one." A number popped over the batarian fighter Ryan was chasing, detailing on his HMD that he had targeted it. Two green lights briefly flashed into the corner of his visor, showing Ozone-2 and 5's acknowledgements.

As Ryan tailed the batarian fighter to his front, he looked to his armaments. One 35mm cannon, 8 M412 Multi-Purpose Missiles, and 6 M293 Integrated Assault Missiles. His M293s were out of the question, they were reserved for ground attack. On the other hand, the bandit he was pursuing was moving much too often to use his cannon effectively, so he would have to reserve his ammunition for later. That left his 8 M412s, missiles that could be armed and rearmed for different uses, from active radar, to semi-active, to even passive radar or unguided launch. They were the jack of all trades, the product of the UER's combining of the multitude of different missiles used by—and on—21st century jets.

Thus, with the current situation, Ryan armed his M412s for passive locks, commonly known as "infrared guiding," or, even more commonly known as, "heatseeking." In a couple of seconds, the missiles had locked onto the batarian fighter, and Ryan waited for any signs of countermeasures before firing the missiles.

And, lo and behold, Ryan's lock was disrupted as the bandit to his front launched some sort of combination of radar chaff and ECM jammer, letting off small pieces of material that gave off eerie lights in space. Rushing past the loosed countermeasures, Ryan continued to pursue the fighter, relocking the M412s. Unable to escape, the batarian fighter attempted to pull away, yet could not sway Ryan as he pulled the trigger. "Ozone-6, fox two, fox two." The missile streaked towards its target, pulling ahead, until it finally impacted the batarian fighter, instantly breaking its shields and disabling the bandit. The fighter exploded, and Ryan's Kestrel rushed past, a slight feeling of disgust threatening to mar the grin on Ryan's face. "Good hit, good kill. Splash one."

"Watch out, 6! Bandit's on your tail on heading 3-1-0, incoming cannon fire!"

With Hawkin's words, Ryan's shields flared once again, dipping down to a fearful 58%, before he bled his speed and angled his fighter slightly to his port, back-thrusting the craft to a slight stall before re-engaging the thrusters as the bandit flew past him, obviously miffed at Ryan's breakneck maneuver. "No worries, 5, I'm on his tail now. In pursuit."

The new batarian, now trying to escape Ryan, broke left, rolling on its side before angling itself down. Now over his opponent, Ryan rolled his Kestrel to his right, before dipping down as well, attempting to get himself within cannon range. In response, the batarian fighter pulled hard to the left, attempting to get behind Ryan.

"Ozone-6, bandit's breaking onto your port side."

"I see him, 5."

"He's passin' under you, watch your six!"

"Shit, he's on my tail! I'm moving to defend."

In a daring maneuver, the batarian fighter had broken to the left, luring Ryan into pursuing, until it passed under him, rising back onto Ryan's tail. With a slight grunt, Ryan rolled to the right, narrowly avoiding a burst of cannon fire from his enemy. A moment later, his Kestrel started beeping, signaling that the bandit was locking onto Ryan. "Enemy lock, enemy lock! Dumping flares!"

The "flares" that UER strike craft were not flares, as per the name, due to the lack of oxygen in space prohibiting the use of heat or fire based countermeasures. Instead, UER craft used a combination of radar chaffs and ECM smoke to achieve a flare-like effect, very similar to the system the destroyed batarian fighter had used earlier.

With a slight jerk upwards and to the right, Ryan's Kestrel dumped a series of ECM chaffs, and the batarian fighter's missile, deemed a miniature version of the disruptor torpedoes they used on their larger vessels, veered to his port side, chasing after one of the "flares" Ryan had dumped. A series of bright blue tracers then rushed past Ryan, and his shields dropped a slight amount. "Ozone-5, I'm circling right! What's your status?"

"Bandit on my side is down, pulling back to you now. 2 is finished as well, he's heading back to Gungnir. Shit, Maester, you've got another bandit on your tail!"

 _Fuck_ , thought Ryan. He now had two batarian fighters on his tail, and was stuck on his own until Hawkins came to his aid. Moments later, a series of bullets streaked to his starboard side, and Ryan took a glance behind him to see that there were now two bandits on his tail. Thinking quickly, he sent his Kestrel into a roll, before pulling off a maneuver he had learned on his own in Zero Mike Zulu, sending his craft flying upwards and to the left while still rolling. He engaged the back-thrusters, sending his fighter to a near dead stop, before Ryan hit the afterburners, sending his Kestrel to breakneck speeds, and finished by yawing his fighter to the right.

The maneuver, titled the "Roskensky Maneuver," combined a barrel roll (1) with Pugachev's Cobra, effectively sending the two bandits soaring past Ryan below him, while placing Ryan in a favorable position above the two batarian fighters. For most that were untrained, the extensive g-forces in use with the Roskensky Maneuver would render them unconscious, and, therefore, dead in a dogfight. Indeed, Roskensky, the first human to pull off the maneuver, had nearly blacked out, and would have died if it were not for his extensive training. Ryan, however, had always had an aptitude for regulating the g-forces acting on his body, and only experienced a slight amount of nausea, nowhere near enough to affect him.

Now fully behind the two bandits, Ryan decided to pursue the one closer to him, arming his M412s for active radar. Though Ryan did not hear any signs of his missiles locking on, he knew that if they used a similar system, the batarian fighter in front of him would hear a lock-on tone, and would use countermeasures in an attempt to escape.

Thus, Ryan was not surprised when a series of small, metallic materials came flying out of the bandit's tail, but it was to no avail. Ryan engaged his afterburner again, rapidly closing the distance, before firing off his M412 at close range. The missile closed the remaining distance, and detonated against the batarian fighter, breaking its shields and severely damaging its systems, sending it cartwheeling into space, not destroyed, but effectively crippled and disabled.

"Fox three, fox three! Missile has hit, splash one!"

"Good kill, Maester. You've got another to your port, he's breaking away again!"

"Copy, 5, pulling left now!"

"No need, 6. Guns, guns, guns."

With her words, Hawkin's Kestrel soared past Ryan's front, before she spun up her L26 35mm Rotary Gauss Cannon, sending hundreds of 35mm tungsten rounds at the last remaining bandit. Ryan watched as the batarian fighter's shields collapsed within a couple seconds under the tremendous barrage, before exploding altogether, unable to handle the copious amounts of bullets fired at it at such extreme velocities.

"Good hit, good kill. Splash one on my end, Maester. Come on, let's head back to Gungnir, link up with the rest of Ozone Squadron."

"Copy, Hawkins. On your six now."

The two F-41 Kestrel Fighters flew back to rendezvous with the rest of their squadron and Gungnir, and Ryan watched the ongoing naval battle between the UER's 15th Fleet and the batarian-krogan fleet. The battle seemed to be going well—Ryan thought that he could see more enemy casualties than friendly. At the same time, however, Ryan frowned, fraught with disgust and sorrow and the loss of life on both ends.

And now that he was coming off of his adrenalin high from the dogfights, Ryan had come to realize that he had taken lives—alien lives, yes, but still, he had killed fellow sentient beings. Bile threatened to rush into his mouth at such a thought, but Ryan pushed it back down, attempting to cope with such thoughts.

Sometime later, Ozone-5 and Ozone-6 linked up with the rest of Ozone Squadron, which was still escorting Gungnir towards Target Lima. "Ozone-5, Ozone-6, glad to have you back, you have fun with your little gala back there?"

"Affirmative, 1. We had our fun. 3, 4, you guys green?"

"That's a yes, Hawkins, we have good ends, good highs, good lows, no out lights. We're fine, thank you for asking."

"Copy. Let's go, Target Lima is three mikes out."

Then, another voice, unfamiliar to Ryan's ears, echoed into his ear, signaling a transmission from Gungnir-1, the leader of their charge of B-63s. "Ozone-1, Gungnir-1, Target Lima is three mikes out, mission confirmation from _Number Misfit_ is green. Request is for you to push in first with cannons and M293s, and then we'll head in with our payload. Solid Copy?"

"Solid copy, Gungnir-1, Ozone will do that. Ozone-3, 4, you're on cannon detail, 5, 6, you're on missiles. Ozone-1 and 2 will stay back with Gungnir, over."

"Roger, solid copy on all. Target is in sight, its shields are confirmed disabled. Gungnir out."

Ryan tightened his grasp on his fighter's controls again, before pulling ahead of Gungnir, along with Ozone-3, 4, and 5. Switching to his M293s, he watched as Ozone-3 and 4 rushed forwards towards the batarian dreadnought, dipping below the enemy vessel's point defenses.

"Ozone-3 off safe. Guns, guns, guns."

"Dash 4, off safe. Guns, guns, guns."

The two initial bursts of 35mm rounds impacted upon the vessel, peppering its armor with hundreds of small explosions, some of which pierced into the ship, only to be stopped by the baffles in between the armor. Nevertheless, the two initial gun runs marked the spot for further attacks, weakening the armor in its place.

"Dash 5 inbound. Good tone, good tone. Fox three, fox three."

"Good hit, good hit."

Hawkins' two M293s blazed out of her Kestrel, before angling down towards the spot marked by the cannon fire. They impacted upon the vessel, creating a fiery explosion and further opening up the hole. It was now Ryan's turn, and he couldn't say if he was excited, or grim."

"Dash 6 inbound. Good tone. Fox three, fox three."

Ryan then pulled the trigger, sending two M293 Integrated Assault Missiles soaring towards their mark. With another explosion, the hole was ripped apart in the vessel's armor, creating a veritable hull breach and displacing oxygen from the vessel.

"Good hit, good hit. Gungnir is inbound, A23s armed and ready."

In a matter of seconds, the three B-63 Peregrine Bombers unleashed their payloads, one A23 Angled Assault Bomb each. The A23 was meant for precision strikes against vulnerable targets, and was designed to do large amounts of damage against enemy vessels, structures, or ground formations. It wouldn't destroy the batarian dreadnought, by any means, but it would certainly mark it with a glaring wound.

And wound the dreadnought it did, causing fiery ripples throughout the vessel and ripping an even larger hull breach open, burning many of the crew that weren't already spaced in the area, and sending many more flying into the expanse of space.

"Good hit, good hit. Target Lima is wounded, Target Lima is wounded. Mission accomplished, Gungnir is returning to _Number Misfit_. Thanks for the assist, Ozone."

"Copy, Gungnir. Ozone is outbound as well, returning to home. Ozone, we're at bingo fuel, avoid all confrontations, and leave any wounded bandits or bogeys to the interceptors. We're out."

With a sigh, Ryan angled his Kestrel back to the location of the RNS _Number Misfit_ , watching silently as more and more bodies seemed to fall out of the batarian dreadnought. A few seconds later, a grouping of UER frigates and destroyers closed in on the severely wounded dreadnought, unleashing their own payloads into it, acting much like scavenging birds or animals in that they collectively tore the larger vessel into two, a pack of vultures feasting upon the carcass of a great and powerful predator.

* * *

It was only an hour later, with many more casualties on both sides, when another entire fleet warped into view, signaling the arrival of the UER 32nd Fleet, reinforcing Antioch. Minutes after the 32nd's arrival, the batarian-krogan fleet was effectively defeated, and just narrowly escaped through the relay, their tails between their legs.

The naval battle for the Ajax System was over, finished, leaving the remnants of the batarian-krogan ground forces stranded on Antioch, to be slowly picked apart and eradicated by the colony's garrison. And yet, the UER was not without its wounds—the 15th Fleet had lost nearly 67% of their forces, the mighty behemoth of the UER Navy reduced to a wounded warrior. Scores of young men and women, some of the most talented in their fields, were dead, the fires of their lives extinguished by the opening of the UER's entrance into another faction's war.

Their deaths would be paid for, yes, and in blood, throughout the rest of the war. The UER was committed, and they would not go silently.

* * *

(1): Not the traditional "Barrel Roll" as popularized by Star Fox, which is in actuality an aileron roll. No, the _actual_ barrel roll.

 **CODEX:**

 **Command** : The UER military is divided into several sections of command structures, all tasked with different things.

HIGHCOM: UER High Command, or HIGHCOM, is the highest operational command of the United Earth Republic, and is ultimately in charge of all personnel, equipment, and facilities used by the military. It is based on Arcturus Station,

NAVCOM: UER Naval Command, or NAVCOM, is the section of operational command in charge of naval personnel, structure, and organization, and is also in charge of the UER Air Force. It is based on Fenix, the largest of the UER's Military Strongholds.

EXPECOM: UER Expeditionary Command, or EXPECOM, is the section of operational command in charge of the UER Marine Corps, and all expeditionary maneuvers. It is based on Fenix.

CENTCOM: UER Central Ground Command, or CENTCOM, is the section of operational command in charge of the UER Army, and deals with all things planet-side, especially on military colonies and outposts. It is based on Earth.

LOGCOM: UER Logistics Command, or LOGCOM, is in charge of logistics, trade protection, and the movement of troops from theatre to theatre. It organizes military units, and prepares Quick Response Forces. While an overarching structure, it is technically under HIGHCOM, NAVCOM, EXPECOM, and CENTCOM. It is based on Arcturus Station and Fenix.

SPECWARCOM: UER Special Warfare command, or SPECWARCOM, is the operational command in charge of all UER Special Forces. It organizes special operations and units, and maintains detailed links with other operational commands. It has no home "base," as it remains secretive and roving.

 **R72 Enhanced Marksman's Rifle**

(Republic-72 EMR)

Muzzle Velocity: 2900 meters per second.

Uses MA-49 Rounds.

RoF: 320 RPM

Capacity: 20 Rounds, four to eight magazines.

Force: 5106.73 ft-lbf

Standard Issue Designated Marksman's Rifle

 **F-41 Kestrel S/ASF**

18.5 meters long

The UER and RAF's main, favored Space/Air Superiority Fighter. Top of the line, state of the art, and a nightmare for enemy pilots.

Primary: L26 35mm Rotary Gauss Cannon

Secondary: M412 Multi-Purpose Missiles (M-PM) (4 pods, 8 missiles)

Tertiary: M293 Integrated Assault Missile (IAM) (6 missiles)

Crew: 1—Pilot

Tier 1AV Shields

 **B-63 Peregrine Bomber**

20 meters long

The UER and RAF's general-purpose bomber, armed with a heavy railcannon and multiple payloads, ready to assist in the assault of land, naval, orbital, or cosmic targets.

Anti-Starfighter: L75 75mm Heavy Repeating Railcannon

Payload 1—Precision: A23 Angled-Assault Bomb

Payload 2—Carpet: A49 Heavy-Ordinance Bomb

Crew: 3 or 4, Pilot, Bomber, Technician

Tier 1AV Shields

 **Author's Notes:**

Hope you enjoyed the fifth chapter of TIOM. I know there's been a lot of gratuitous violence lately, but, be assured, it is all for a reason. The next few chapters will tone down on the action, and focus more on the political, societal, and personal aspects, as well as some… _introductions_ , to the infamous Office of Republic Intelligence…

 **Individual Replies:**

 **.wanderlust** : Detailed response in a PM, won't post it here.

 **general-joseph-dickson** : Oh, don't you worry, we'll be seeing a lot of Shepard in the coming chapters…

 **magnusvictor** : Hey man, the Republic can commandeer whatever tanks we want! Besides, we never liked those red and black bricks they call Prowlers..

 **SeventhSon77** : Yeah, we'll be seeing how the alliance formed. No worries there.

Don't forget to review, guys! I really do appreciate each and every single one of them, especially the critical ones.


	6. Chapter 6: CODEX DUMP 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing besides the UER.**

 **Author's Note** :

Welcome all, to TIOM's first Codex Dump. This is a collection of every single codex entry we've seen so far, in summation, as well as some we've missed and others that I deemed too small. Enjoy.

 **Heavy Cruiser: The infantry equivalent of the RAF Navy.**

 **Hastings-Class Heavy Cruiser: 1,100 meters long, 310 meters wide.**

Ship of the Line: RNS _Hastings_

Specialty: **Mainstay Heavy Cruiser** , Medium Fire Support

Armaments:

 **Main Guns:** 3 Spinal Mounted Medium Magnetic Cannons

 **Broadsides:** 200 LGCs

 **Missiles:** 12 Raven Missile Pods—5 each side, 2 front. 60 missiles each.

 **Torpedoes:** 1 Fracture Torpedo Pod—1 front. 4 torpedoes.

 **Point Defense:** 200 60mm Gauss Gatling Rifles

 **Orbital Bombardment:** 2 OB Mini Magnetic Cannons

 **Shielding:** 15,000 kilotons

85 Spacecraft

1,950 Marines

 **Frigate: Most common type of ship in the RAF Navy. Escorts, screening.**

 **Gladius-Class Frigate: 520 meters long, 155 meters wide.**

Ship of the Line: RNS _Gladius_

Specialty: **Mainstay Frigate** , Light Escort

Armaments:

 **Main Guns:** 1 Spinal Mounted Light Magnetic Cannon

 **Broadsides:** 30 LGCs

 **Missiles:** 6 Orion Missile Pods—3 on each side. 150 missiles each.

 **Torpedoes:** 1 Fracture Torpedo Pod—1 on front. 3 torpedoes.

 **Point Defense:** 45 60mm Gauss Gatling Rifles

 **Orbital Bombardment:** 1 OB Mini Magnetic Cannon

 **Shielding:** 750 kilotons

25 Spacecraft

500 Marines

 **Magnetic Cannon: Used as ship-board weapons for ship-to-ship combat or orbital bombardment, this is the mainstay of the UER/RAF navy weapon systems. Powered by Rivers-Gauss/Coilgun mechanisms, they fire large slugs at low (compared to Citadel Race) speeds for high yield.**

Heavy Magnetic Cannon—Fires a 5 ton slug at 450 km/s for 95.602 kilotons of TNT. Primary ship-board spinal-mounted weapon. Fires every 5 seconds.

Medium Magnetic Cannon—Fires a 5 ton slug at 325 km/s for 63.112 kilotons of TNT. Ship-board spinal-mounted weapon. Fires every 5 seconds.

Light Magnetic Cannon—Fires a 5 ton slug at 275 km/s for 45.187 kilotons of TNT. Ship-board spinal-mounted weapon. Fires every 5 seconds.

Medium Gauss Cannon—Fires a 2.5 ton slug at 300 km/s for 26.888 kilotons of TNT. Limited to Corvettes. Fires every 6 seconds.

Light Gauss Cannon—Fires a 30 kg slug at 400 km/s for 0.574 kilotons of TNT. Used on some vessels as broadsides.

Mini Magnetic Cannon—Fires a 1 ton slug at 150 km/s for 2.6888 kilotons of TNT. Orbital Bombardment. Variable fire rate.

Swivel Magnetic Cannon—Fires a 5 ton slug at 100 km/s for 5.975 kilotons of TNT. Knife-fight MagCannon. Swivels on sides of ship.

 **Point Defense Weapons:**

Gauss Gatling Rifles: These point-defense weapons systems use the UER's traditional, beloved Gauss technology to fire 40mm through 80mm projectiles at insanely fast speeds. They are excellent in point defense, and can shred through light, and sometimes even medium, armor quickly. Best used against missiles, fighters, lighter classes, or wounded ships in knife-fighting range.

 **Missile Systems:**

 **Missiles:**

Raven Missiles: These missiles are the bigger of the two missile systems, and are much more powerful. They are fired in clumps, and are kept in moderate amounts in pods. They are quick, agile, and extremely hard to dodge if one's point-defense systems are disabled or sabotaged.

Orion Missiles: These missiles are the smaller of the pair, and weaker, but their advantage is in numbers and speed—they are extremely fast, and are fired in large masses that regular point-defense systems can easily be overwhelmed by. However, they have no agility whatsoever, and can be dodged by a moderately skilled helmsman at range. They are reserved for lighter ship classes.

 **Torpedoes:**

Fracture Torpedoes: The only type of torpedo used by the UER and RAF, these torpedoes are usually reserved for medium or heavy ship classes. However, they are devastating, incredibly so, and can easily gut a Citadel race cruiser, and even a Dreadnought with enough torpedoes. They are extremely fast, but cannot change direction once in flight, and can only be kept in short supply on ships—the RAF Navy is advised to use them in dire situations, or in ambushes or surprise attacks—not in the brunt of an engagement. Marked by bright red tracers.

 **The United Earth Republic**

 _ **Socialist Republic**_

While at its core an authoritarian military dictatorship, the United Earth Republic's government is a socialistic republic in which a ruling party is elected by the people and their representatives as a whole. In fear of a situation in which the ruling party enacts a coup d'état and a hostile takeover, a separate sect is held in place that only possesses power in a dire civil situation, such as the one above. The ruling party is titled as the Elected Council, and is usually comprised of the top military officials of the UER.

Under the Elected Council is the Civic House, responsible with dealing with Civil, in-state matters, and the Republican Senate, responsible with dealing with military matters. Both are headed by a member of the rival party (of the Elected Council) and a member with a neutral party unaffiliated with the rival or Elected party. Each contains 500 members total, elected by the people. Every member would be a representative of his or her planet of origin, with Earth bearing the largest amount of members—but only by a slim margin.

Under the circumstances of the UER's birth, military service is mandatory for all **legal** citizens of the UER. Both men and women are required to serve from ages twenty to twenty eight. There may be exceptions in the case of those with disabilities or other—but they are still required to serve the UER military, albeit in appropriate positions, and for less time.

Along with this, the UER has founded and funds several military colleges—the most notable of which being the Joint Naval Officers Commission (JNOC) of Earth, and the Junior Officer's University (JOU) of Rapture. Those who attend these schools and graduate will have their first four years of military service certified, at the cost of being required to serve another three years as officers.

Those who attend military colleges are only those who have been chosen personally by the UER military and the Republican Senate to attend—not everyone can attend. In addition, those who graduate serve as officers, and are expected to be exemplary humans and citizens.

Members of the military are paid a decent wage, and their families also receive an addition to their annual welfare payment. In addition, citizens who remain in the military after mandatory service are given a moderate to large sized increase in wages, and are honored by the Republic.

Those who leave the service at age 28 (31 for officers) are entered into the Military Reserve, and are required to attend a mandatory two-month Auxiliary Training Drill (ATD) every three years, depending on their roles in the military during their service.

Those who remain in the military are career soldiers, and are honored as such. Increased wages, benefits for themselves and their families, etc.

 **Steymer Gravitic Oscillation Drive**

The Steymer Gravitic Oscillation Drive, or Steymer Drive for short, is a modern piece of technology that allows faster than light travel at very high speeds, allowing for quick travel through the galaxy. Used by the UER, it comes in various models, with civilian models using smaller drives that are generally slower in speed, and the faster, and larger, drives reserved for military and science.

The Steymer Drive uses a system in which the drive creates a bubble, of sorts, around the ship where gravity is oscillated in multiple directions. The ship in the bubble is propelled forwards through space at high speeds, with little to no further propulsion needed. In this sense, gravity and space is distorted around the ship, and, with a set of coordinates, can put a ship thousands of light-years ahead of where it once was.

 **Pros:**

Fast travel between two coordinates very far away from each other.

No use of mass relays or mass effect.

Strategic and Tactical implications abound against Citadel species.

 **Cons:**

Relatively long recharge time.

Slower than mass relay system between two connected regions.

Cannot be used immediately before or immediately after the Warp-Shock Drive.

 **Rausch Warp-Shock Drive**

The Rausch Warp-Shock Drive, or Warp-Shock Drive or W-P Drive, for short, is another modern piece of technology that allows for faster than light travel at high speeds. However, it is limited to in-system or in-cluster use, as it cannot handle long distances as the Steymer Drive can. It uses a system where space is distorted around the ship and the drive, creating a "warp" effect. After, the drive "shocks" the warp into propelling the ship to a certain place in the cluster or system.

 **Pros:**

Fast travel in-system or in-cluster.

No use of mass relays or mass effect.

Strategic and Tactical uses against Citadel Species.

 **Cons:**

No long distance travel.

 **UER Colonial Administration**

The UER Colonial Administration is the heart of the Republic's colonial efforts. The Administration handles the exploration of new systems and celestial masses, and directs colonies and colonists across the UER's domain. Private colonies can be petitioned for, but usually require more money than the common citizen can provide.

"Major" Colonies are colonies that have been fully established across the entirety of a planet. These colonies have been fully developed, and sustain major populations comparable to humanity's homeworld, Earth. The Colonial Administration categorizes these major colonies as either Military Strongholds, Civilian Centers, Industrial Powerhouses, or National Breadbaskets.

Military Strongholds: These major colonies are the literal fortresses of humanity. The homes to much of the UER's military might, they can sustain entire branches of the military. Such colonies include Fenix, Bastion, Ares, and the up and coming colony of Antioch.

Civilian Centers: These major colonies hold major civilian populaces, and are generally the trade hubs of the UER. They are still very well protected, and are major centers for education, trade, and more.

Industrial Powerhouses: The UER's industrial might is centered around these colonies. Full of looming factories, bustling ports, and extensive mines, these colonies are essential to the UER's industrial power, both in civilian and military matters.

National Breadbaskets: These colonies are the major food production centers for the UER. Most of the food throughout the UER come from these colonies, and the planets they are based on were the ones that did not need major terraformation, in order to sustain the natural growth of food and supplies. Eden Prime is a prime example of such a colony.

 **The Office of Republic Intelligence:** The UER's Office of Republic Intelligence, often shortened to ORI, is an incredibly secretive intelligence organization within the UER. Not much is known about ORI, except for the fact that they will do anything they can to protect humanity and ORI. It is led by a singular Director, of which the current Director is an Admiral Mary Ishimura, but there are rumors that ORI is led by someone even higher than the Director…

 **BAC-SIG:** The Battle Assistance Command—Special Interests Group, commonly shortened to BAC-SIG, is a special forces group within the UER. However, it is not connected to SPECWARCOM by any means, instead under the direct command of ORI itself. Not much is known about BAC-SIG, as it is a heavily classified and secretive group in the UER, and was created amidst the constant threats of rebel and terrorist activity. Slightly comparable to the 20th century American Military Assistance Command—Vietnam: Studies and Observations Group, upon which the BAC-SIG was lightly based, the SIG specializes in covert unconventional warfare, espionage, sabotage, assassination, etc.—and also, many things that are not even whispered of. Besides the spooks of the UER's various intelligence groups, the BAC-SIG is known to undertake the most Black Ops and Deniable Ops of the RAF, using specialized teams.

 **RIG:** The RIG is a mobile support platform for the UER's largest fleets, and performs various support duties for the fleet it is attached to, varying from repairs, rearms, and resupplies, to in-field creation of smaller vessels if needed.

Support, meant to rearm and redeploy on the go. Contained to large fleets.

Homestead-Class RIG: 4,500 meters long, 2,150 meters wide.

Specialty: Support—Field Resupply and Repair, Assault Support Platform

 **SPECWARCOM: SPECWARCOM is the main command structure under which most of the UER's Special Forces are retained. SPECWARCOM is composed of various units from all the branches, and structures them all under several "groups."**

 **November Group**

November Group is a section of UER Special Operations that deals primarily with traditional special operations, including reconnaissance, some wetwork, assault, raids, some assassinations, etc., but can still participate in frontline combat or reconnaissance.

 **Guard Group**

Guard Group is composed of all of the Guard elements UER SPECWARCOM.

 **Echo Group**

Echo Group is among the least "Special" of the special forces, but are still potent, deadly, and elite. Echo Group deals primarily with reconnaissance, light infantry, skirmishing, etc.

 **Delta Group**

Delta Group is, alongside Echo Group, among the least "special" of SPECWARCOM, but are still deadly, elite, and potent. Delta Group is comprised of units that specialize in assaults, front-line combat, demolitions, and anything primarily loud.

 **Zulu Group**

Zulu Group is comprised mostly of UER ORI elements, and participate in wetwork, assassinations, intelligence gathering, special interests, studies and investigations, etc. It is completely separate from the rest of SPECWARCOM, and is commanded only by ORI.

 **Theta Group**

Theta Group is one of the UER Army's most elite special operations groups, and not much is known about them. They undertake the most dangerous operations the UER Army offers, besides the ones assigned to the guards (and even then, some of the assignments meant for the Guards are reassigned to Theta Group). They specialize in counter-terrorism, hostage recovery, black/deniable operations, espionage, counter-insurgency, assassination, sabotage, and many more delicate subjects and operations.

 **Battlecruiser: Backbone of the RAF Navy.**

Viridian-Class Battlecruiser: 1,500 meters long, 385 meters wide.

Ship of the Line: RNS _Viridian Green_

Specialty: Capital Ship, Heavy Fire Support

Armaments:

 **Main Guns:** 2 Spinal-Mounted HMCs

 **Broadsides:** 250 LGCs

 **Missiles:** 14 Raven Missile Pods—7 each side. 60 missiles each.

 **Torpedoes:** 4 Fracture Torpedo Pods—2 front, 1 on each side. 4 torpedoes each.

 **Point Defense:** 250 60mm Gauss Gatling Rifles

 **Orbital Bombardment:** 5 OB Mini MCs

 **Shielding:** 45,000 kilotons

100 Spacecraft

3,000 Marines—One Regiment

 **Vector-Class Battlecruiser: 1,375 meters long, 365 meters wide.**

Ship of the Line: RNS _Vector_

Specialty: Capital Ship, Mainstay Battlecruiser

Armaments:

 **Main Guns: 2** Spinal Mounted HMCs

 **Broadsides:** 225 LGCs

 **Missiles:** 15 Raven Missile Pods—7 each side, 1 front. 5 missiles each.

 **Point Defense:** 300 60mm Gauss Gatling Rifles

 **Orbital Bombardment:** 3 OB Mini MCs

 **Shielding:** 45,000 kilotons

100 Spacecraft

3,000 Marines—One Regiment

 **13th Hazardous/High Risk Mechanized Division: H/HR Mechanized, Scarecrows. Delta Group**

The only true mechanized Special Forces unit in the UER, the Hazardous/High Risk Mechanized Division, or H/HR Mechanized for short, specializes in elite battlefield operations where fast moving armor and infantry support are required. However, their main duties lay in operations that are either extremely hazardous to normal units, have a very high risk, or present an extreme challenge that requires elite mechanized finesse. The H/HR Mechanized are thus equipped with state-of-the-art heavy armor, EOD/HAZMAT-suits, and weapons with on-board life-support and environmental protection suites, while their armored vehicles are similarly protected. However, members of the H/HR Mechanized are known for their sadistic tendencies.

 **R821 Incendiary Microwave Emitter (R821 IME)**

Range: 20m/30m/50m/70m/90m

A new UER weapon, straight out of Research and Development, the R821 IME, christened the "Microwave" by active combat forces, is a heavy DEW weapon utilized by heavy UER forces. It emits a concentrated cone of microwaves, designed to burn, incapacitate, and flush out hostile infantry. It has a rather gruesome effect, having a tendency to burn the skin off of those affected at close to medium range. It can be used as a direct support or combat weapon, or can be used to suppress and flush out enemies from behind cover, depending on the mode in which it is used. Prolonged usage, approximately two minutes of sustained use, will overheat the weapon, causing the need for a lengthy period of cooling (45 seconds to fully cool after 2 minutes of use). The range can be adjusted for wide, short range waves or narrow, long range waves.

 **R8 Special Combat Assault Rifle (R8 SCAR)**

(Republic-8 Series 5)

Muzzle Velocity: 2,500 meters per second.

Uses MA-31 Rounds.

RoF: 825 RPM

Capacity: 35 Rounds per Magazine

Force: 2401.00 ft-lbf

RAF's Standard Issue Rifle

 **R2 Crimson**

(Republic-2 Crimson)

Muzzle Velocity: 1650 meters per second.

Uses MA-20 Rounds.

RoF: 460 RPM

Capacity: 20 rounds

Force: 674.76 ft-lbf

UER and RAF's standard issue handgun/sidearm.

 **R260B Medium Machine Gun (R265B MMG)**

Muzzle Velocity: 2720 meters per second.

Uses MA-49 Rounds.

RoF: 920 RPM

Capacity: 250 rounds per belt

Force: 4492.46 ft-lbf

Standard Issue RAF MMG, for platoon-based medium fire support.

 **R71 Falx**

(Republic-71 Falx)

Muzzle Velocity: 1750 meters per second

Uses MA-90 Rounds.

RoF: 225 RPM

Capacity: 12 rounds

Force: 3415.62 ft-lbf

High-powered sidearm, comparable to 21st century Desert Eagle. Optional Standard Issue for officers.

 **R64 Adaptive Combat Rifle**

(Republic-64 ACR)

Muzzle Velocity: 2400 meters per second

Uses MA-49

RoF: 620 RPM

Capacity: 28 Rounds, eight to twelve magazines.

Force: 3497.59 ft-lbf

Specialized Burst Battle Rifle. Can quickly put two rounds down long ranges with extreme accuracy.

 **R76 Recoilless Rocket Accelerator (R76 RRA)**

Range: 700m

RoF: 150 RPM

30mm Compact Anti-Vehicle Rockets

Capacity: 7 rockets per magazine.

The R76 is a favorite weapon amongst UER military forces, suitable for engagements against hostile armor, vehicles, buildings, and infantry alike. Utilizing a small, compact rocket, the R76 is fired from the shoulder, to be aimed at suitable hostile targets. Using a chained gauss system, the rockets are fired at high velocities, and emit a bright red glow when traveling through the air. They do moderate damage against armor, and at most five shots in a concentrated location will pierce heavy armor. The rockets can be configured for high-explosive capabilities meant for anti-infantry roles, but will do minimal damage against armor. On a typical UER battlefield, it is common to see scores of the familiar red streaks flying across towards enemy targets and locations.

 **R14 Infantry Concussion Rifle (ICR)**

Range: Up to 650m

Capacity: 10 rounds per magazine.

The R14 Concussion Rifle is a downsizing of the concussion weapons generally found on UER vehicles. It uses the same principle of utilizing a gauss-system to magnetically propel a round at extreme velocities at a target, upon which it detonates or airbursts, causing a lethal, near-lethal, or incapacitating concussion shockwave. Used as a platoon, or squad, support weapon, the R14 is best used for suppression, crowd control, or other scenarios where enemies are bunched together in even slightly exposed areas.

 **M5S5 Phalanx—Primary Tank**

Mark 5-Series 5

Primary: R87 150mm Heavy Railgun

Secondary: .60 Gauss Heavy Machine Gun

Gunner: T91 Rhino Multi-Repeating Spiker (Rhino MRS)

Four Man Crew—Commander, Driver, Main Gunner, Second Gunner

Automatic (AI) Loading

Tracked

 **R87 150mm Heavy Railgun**

Using Gauss technology, the R87 fires a large slug at extremely high speeds, doing immense damage. Like all Gauss technology, shells leave behind red, gaseous tracers.

 **.60 Gauss Heavy Machine Gun**

Officially designated the R46 HMG, fires .60 rounds.

 **T91 Rhino Multi-Repeating Spiker (Rhino MRS)**

Using Gauss technology, the T91 Rhino fires a small sized rocket through a belt-fed system. It is fully automatic, but reloads slowly.

 **A-15 Hippeus**

20.4 meters long

A true close-air support attack fighter, the Hippeus is primarily used in conjunction with ground forces for assaults, sometimes danger-close, against enemy formations, structures, etc. It is not used for space-based operations.

Primary: L35 40mm Gauss High-Explosive/Armor-Piercing Gatling Cannon (L35 HE/AP GC)

Secondary: M294 Integrated Strike Missiles (M294 ISM) (8 missiles)

Crew: 1, Pilot

Tier 1AV Shields

 **L35 40mm Gauss High-Explosive/Armor-Piercing Gatling Cannon (L35 HE/AP GC)**

The L35 is mounted on A-15 Hippeus Fighters, and fires 40mm HE/AP rounds designed to take out dense enemy formations of armor and infantry, but can still be used against enemy air. Devastating, and deadly.

 **M293 Integrated Assault Missiles (M293 IAM)**

M293 IAMs are mounted on Kestrel fighters, and are used both against enemy ships, as well as ground support for close air support during planet-side battles against enemy formations or structures.

 **M294 Integrated Strike Missiles (M294 ISM)**

Mounted on A-15 Hippeus Fighters, the M294 is the heavier brother of the M293, designed to work especially well against packs of enemy armor and infantry. High yield.

 **AM-31 Redcell Rapid Reaction Gunship**

21.1 meters long

The UER and RAF's mainline gunship, specialized for heavy close air support, overwatch, and limited troop transport. Heavily armed and armored.

Primary: SE-2 25mm Gauss Canister Repeater (SE-2 GCR)

Secondary: K/L-67 M-HE/AP GM

Tertiary: M23 Heavy Canister/Concussion Rifle (M23 HC/C)

Quaternary: 6 Havoc Missile Pods, 20 missiles each

Crew: 3, Pilot, Co-Pilot, Gunner

Passengers: 6

Tier 2AV Shields

Limited Cargo

 **SE-2 25mm Gauss Canister Repeater (SE-2 GCR)**

The SE-2 uses a version of the canister system that allows for several shots, fed from a magazine. The GCR fires 25mm rounds that combust on impact, creating a heavy anti-personnel effect. Mounted on gunships like the Redcell.

 **K/L-67 Mongoose High Explosive/Armor Piercing Gauss Minigun (K/L-67 M-HE/AP GM)**

The K/L-67 M-HE/AP GM is a medium weight weapon mounted on Condor Dropships and Humminbird Gunships as a primary and Redcells as a secondary, and is best for an anti-infantry role. Using a combination of chain and rotary technology, dubbed "minigun," though it is not a true minigun, the Mongoose can fire small 10mm rounds at extremely high speeds. The rounds then detonate or even pierce armor, depending on the user's current preference, allowing for a suitable anti-infantry role or a role against light to medium armor.

 **M23 Heavy Canister/Concussion Rifle (M23 HC/C)**

The M23 Heavy Canister/Concussion Rifle is a weapons systems usually mounted on gunships and dropships, and uses the trademark concussion system of the UER. Firing a 25mm round out of a canister-based system, the expelled shell may detonate over enemy infantry or armor, creating deadly shockwaves that will likely kill, but can incapacitate those on the edge of the blasts.

 **M1024 Havoc Missile Pods**

Havoc missile pods are exclusive to gunships, and are light-yield, anti-personnel/light-medium armor missiles that are launched in barrages or streams.

 **UT-441 Condor Multirole Dropship**

22.5 meters long

The UER and RAF's main troop transport, is also used in MEDEVAC, CASEVAC, gunship, specialized variants based on specific roles.

Primary: K/L-67 Mongoose High Explosive/Armor Piercing Gauss Minigun (K/L-67 M-HE/AP GM)

Secondary: K112 .308 Anti-Personnel Deck Gun (K112 .308 AP)

Crew: 4, Pilot, Co-Pilot, Navigator, Door Gunner

Passengers: 14

Tier 2AV Shields

Cargo

 **K112 .308 Anti-Personnel Deck Gun (K112 .308 AP)**

The K112 is a simple gauss system, acting in a rifled machinegun manner. Firing MA-49 rounds, and mounted on the deck of a Condor dropship, the K112 is best used as a support weapon against hostile infantry.

 **F/A-51 Zeus Armored Strike Fighter**

19.4 meters long

More of a space/air version of a shock-trooper or tank, the UER and RAF utilize the heavily armed and armored Zeus for high-risk assaults against enemy targets.

Primary: L28 50mm Rotary Gauss Cannon

Secondary: L78 95mm Swivel-Laser Assisted Assault Gun (S-LAAG)

Tertiary: M421 Multirole Swivel Missile (6 magazines, 12 missiles each)

Crew: 3, Pilot, Gunner, Technician

Tier 1AV Shields

 **L26 35mm Rotary Gauss Cannon**

Using Gauss technology, the L26 is mounted on Starfighters, and utilizes a rotary system to spew thousands of 35mm rounds at hostiles accurately.

 **L28 50mm Rotary Gauss Cannon**

The L28 is identical to the L26 and L27, but uses the much heavier 50mm round to destroy gunships, troopships, and other heavy craft, and do some damage to starship hulls.

 **L78 95mm Swivel-Laser Assisted Assault Gun (S-LAAG)**

The S-LAAG is a defining weapon for heavy Starfighters, and is mounted on a swivel on the belly of Starfighters like the Zeus. Used for precision fly-bys against enemy starships, the L78 fires a 65mm shell at insanely high speeds, at an area designated by a laser. When the laser locks onto a specific portion, or strip, of a target, the L78 quickly spews a burst of 5 to 15 shells. It then needs to recharge and rearm. Gauss technology.

 **M421 Multirole Swivel Missile**

The M421 is a heavy-yield, magazine-fed missile system that can either be dumb-fired or laser guided. It is currently exclusive to the Zeus, and is mounted on a swivel.

 **AM-9 Hummingbird Multi-Mission Gunship**

A small gunship, fitted with mush less weapons than the Redcell, the Hummingbird is a small multi-mission gunship primarily used for special operations. It is extremely fast and agile, true to the name of Hummingbird, but cannot hold up in long, extended firefights with larger gunships. It can be likened to the 21st century MH-6 Littlebird in role and ability.

Primary: 2 K/L-67 Mongoose High Explosive/Armor Piercing Gauss Miniguns (K/L-67 M-HE/AP GM)

Secondary: 2 Havoc Missile Pods, 6 missiles each

Crew: 2, Pilot, Co-Pilot

Passengers: 4

Tier 2AV Shields

No Cargo

 **TacSight Helmet-Mounted Suites**

TacSight Sentry: Shows the user the paths of incoming projectiles.

TacSight Overwatch: A tactical suite that allows the user to mark important hostiles, objects, places, coordinates, targets, etc. on the battlefield and relay the information to the rest of his/her squad, platoon, etc.

TacSight Vision: Features many optics, such as infrared, night vision, thermal, sonar, magnetic, and element zero vision.

IRNV—Infrared Night Vision

NV—Night Vision

FLIR—Forward Looking Infrared

SNRI—Sonar Imaging

MGVS—Magnetic Vision System

EZOV—Element Zero Vision

TacSight Marker: Used predominantly by grenadiers, demolitions, and heavy weapons, this utility gives those who use it detailed information on many things pertaining to their fields of expertise.

 **Command:** The UER military is divided into several sections of command structures, all tasked with different things.

HIGHCOM: UER High Command, or HIGHCOM, is the highest operational command of the United Earth Republic, and is ultimately in charge of all personnel, equipment, and facilities used by the military. It is based on Arcturus Station,

NAVCOM: UER Naval Command, or NAVCOM, is the section of operational command in charge of naval personnel, structure, and organization, and is also in charge of the UER Air Force. It is based on Fenix, the largest of the UER's Military Strongholds.

EXPECOM: UER Expeditionary Command, or EXPECOM, is the section of operational command in charge of the UER Marine Corps, and all expeditionary maneuvers. It is based on Fenix.

CENTCOM: UER Central Ground Command, or CENTCOM, is the section of operational command in charge of the UER Army, and deals with all things planet-side, especially on military colonies and outposts. It is based on Earth.

LOGCOM: UER Logistics Command, or LOGCOM, is in charge of logistics, trade protection, and the movement of troops from theatre to theatre. It organizes military units, and prepares Quick Response Forces. While an overarching structure, it is technically under HIGHCOM, NAVCOM, EXPECOM, and CENTCOM. It is based on Arcturus Station and Fenix.

SPECWARCOM: UER Special Warfare command, or SPECWARCOM, is the operational command in charge of all UER Special Forces. It organizes special operations and units, and maintains detailed links with other operational commands. It has no home "base," as it remains secretive and roving.

 **R72 Enhanced Marksman's Rifle**

(Republic-72 EMR)

Muzzle Velocity: 2900 meters per second.

Uses MA-49 Rounds.

RoF: 320 RPM

Capacity: 20 Rounds, four to eight magazines.

Force: 5106.73 ft-lbf

Standard Issue Designated Marksman's Rifle

 **F-41 Kestrel S/ASF**

18.5 meters long

The UER and RAF's main, favored Space/Air Superiority Fighter. Top of the line, state of the art, and a nightmare for enemy pilots.

Primary: L26 35mm Rotary Gauss Cannon

Secondary: M412 Multi-Purpose Missiles (M-PM) (4 pods, 8 missiles)

Tertiary: M293 Integrated Assault Missile (IAM) (6 missiles)

Crew: 1—Pilot

Tier 1AV Shields

 **M412 Multi-Purpose Missiles**

The M412 Multi-Purpose Missile system is a versatile system, capable of several functions, including a short barrage, homing, dumb-fire, or laser-guided homing. Has a medium yield. Air-air or air-ground.

 **B-63 Peregrine Bomber**

20 meters long

The UER and RAF's general-purpose bomber, armed with a heavy railcannon and multiple payloads, ready to assist in the assault of land, naval, orbital, or cosmic targets.

Anti-Starfighter: L75 75mm Heavy Repeating Railcannon

Payload 1—Precision: A23 Angled-Assault Bomb

Payload 2—Carpet: A49 Heavy-Ordinance Bomb

Crew: 3 or 4, Pilot, Bomber, Technician

Tier 1AV Shields

 **A23 Angled-Assault Bomb**

One of the types of bombs a Peregrine Bomber is armed with, the A23 is meant for precision strikes against its targets, be they ships, hostile gatherings, or enemy infrastructures. Heavy yield.

 **A49 Heavy-Ordinance Bomb**

Another bomb equipped by Peregrines, the A49 is an example of the UER's doing-away with many of the old Geneva Convention laws. The A49 is a carpet-bomb system, meant for inaccurate, but devastating, bombing runs. Heavy yield.

 **Author's Note:**

Hopefully you guys weren't too bored by this info dump. It's simply a collection of all the codex entries, so that people can stay up to date and not confused. Thanks guys, and don't forget to review. I sustain myself solely on reviews.


	7. Chapter 7: Tip of the Spear, Part 1

**Author's Note:**

Sorry for the late upload, guys! I just started my senior year of highschool, and so far, it has hit me like a train. Couple that with a gaming clan I'm an officer in, as well as another story I'm working on, and I'm pretty much loaded with work. However, I managed to push through, and complete this chapter! Ain't that a doozy?

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing besides the UER.**

The battle had been brutal. Devastating. Horrible. Janna T'Lani couldn't help but wonder at the devastation wrought by the UER in its own system, and on its own planet. The humans were ruthless in their conduct of war, without mercy and without regard for anything but victory.

And, ultimately, it horrified Janna.

Sure, Desolas and Sparatus were impressed by the sheer discipline and ruthlessness with which the humans waged war. They were turians—that was expected of them. In fact, Desolas and Sparatus had been extremely quick to befriend the humans' ground commander, one General Williams. But Janna had only seen the destruction, the death. She didn't see victory in the ruins on the fringe of "Sector Seleucia," the main city on the human colony of Antioch. She didn't see victory in the gray, burning husks of UER vessels, floating in space with corpses occasionally drifting out of the holes wrought in the ships.

She didn't see victory in the multitudes of civilians that lay dead because of the UER's policy of conscripting civilians of a colony under attack.

Yes, General Williams had told her that those civilians were all former military, that they were all trained, drilled, and kept up-to-date on a regular basis even as civilians. But Janna didn't care that all civilians were part of the UER's reserve, that they knew war as if it was their best friend.

As a member of the asari species, one based on peace, diplomacy, and democracy, Janna could only think of the multitudes of children, wives, and husbands who would be left without loved ones. And yet, the humans told her the same thing, over and over again, that the civilians were still soldiers, still marines, through and through, despite being _civilians_. _It was so frustrating!_

And then, to make matters worse, was what the UER did to the few prisoners they had gained from the battle. Every single prisoner acquired on the ground was sent to General Williams, and half of them were executed _on the spot!_

Several human soldiers and marines had gone along the line of prisoners, taking their pistols and shooting them without regard! What kind of species did that?

Of the remaining half, a quarter was sent to an ominous _ORI_ , for an even more ominous _examination_ , and the ones that were left were supposedly interrogated, tortured, and beaten for information. Oh, the thought of such actions caused bile to rise in Janna's throat. And yet, everyone but her was satisfied by such measures. Even Desolas, even Sparatus, even the Salarian ambassador. Even Matriarch Trevelyna, for Thessia's sake!

And thus, Janna took a moment to remember the events that swept the Citadel envoys away during the battle. Admiral Vasily Mikhailov refused to allow the Citadel Diplomatic Flotilla to take part in the naval battle—they had been immediately sent back to Antioch, where the diplomats were brought planetside. There, they were sent to General William's command center, where they waited out the battle, while Desolas and Sparatus were keen to observe the human's tenacity in battle.

The Diplomatic Flotilla was allowed to engage the few enemy vessels that had reached Antioch, but besides that, the UER did not let them fight. Marines were told to stay on their vessels, as the UER did not want to risk "blue on blue," in case any UER soldiers mistook the Citadel marines for enemies.

And now, Janna was back on the _Cybaen_ , headed back to the Citadel, along with the rest of the ambassadors. Janna sat in the officer's mess, silently observing her food, a plate of Silessian _Asevega._

Suddenly, a body plopped into a seat beside her, and Janna was ripped out of her reverie, looking to her left. She saw Sparatus there, sitting ramrod-straight with a plate of turian…meat, she supposed, in front of him.

Sparatus proceeded to taste his food, before setting his utensils down and returning Janna's stare. A few moments passed in silence, before the turian ambassador looked away, picking up his silverware once more.

"Janna, I'm sorry to say this, but I'm sure that a deaf and blind elcor would be able to tell that you've got something on your mind. So," he took a few bites of his food, before turning back to Janna. "If you wouldn't mind, I would like to invest in learning what you're thinking about right now."

Janna sighed, understanding that she would not be able to escape this. Rubbing her eyes, she looked back at Sparatus, a slight frown on her face. "Sparatus, I…I'm not sure what to think of these humans."

"What do you mean?"

"They're…they're ruthless, merciless, and, to be perfectly honest, they _scare_ me…"

At this, Sparatus raised an eyebrow, unsure of what to say. "Well, Janna, I…I don't understand?"

"Sparatus, you saw what the humans did—you saw what those so-called _Scarecrows_ did, you saw the measures these humans took to defend their homes, you saw what they did with those prisoners! Sparatus, they executed half of them, and I'm one-hundred percent sure that this "ORI" is taking some of those prisoners for some nefarious reason, I wouldn't know what exactly." Janna took a few deep breaths, her wringing her hands as she spoke. "Sparatus, I wouldn't trust the humans. _I_ don't trust them, they go against everything I stand for as a diplomat of peace, I—"

The turian General-Politician placed a hand on Janna's back, patting her repeatedly in efforts to calm her down. After a moment, he spoke. "Janna, to be frank, I think you're overreacting to this entire event." He turned away, looking down at his food. "At this point in time, Janna, the Citadel needs _allies_. Not enemies, but friends, who are willing to lay down their lives to save our own people. And in the humans? I can see that willingness, that determination that the Council so desperately needs to win this war."

"But the cost of allying with the humans—"

"—is nothing, for now. However this turns out, we shall see. But I am ultimately sure that the humans will prove to be dear allies—we'll get through this together." Sparatus took up his silverware, before continuing to eat his food. "Now, Janna, you'd better start eating—don't want to talk to the Council on an empty stomach, after all. And Janna?"

"Yes?"

"Don't stress yourself out over this. I'm sure it will all turn out well."

Janna nodded silently, before finally beginning to eat her _Asevega_. The _Cybaen_ was scheduled to arrive back at the Citadel in a day or so, so until then, Janna resolved to simply rest her mind.

* * *

 _ **Nubian Expanse**_

 _ **December 11**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 2253**_

 _ **5 days after the Battle of Antioch**_

Aiden Pearson watched as the various crewmen of the RNS _Night's Eye_ , a Grendel-class corvette, hustled about the hangar, dropping boxes and crates here and there. The atmosphere of the hangar was dense, as if any mistake would cost innumerable lives. The vessel was, after all, one of the many secretive ships belonging solely to the Office of Republic Intelligence.

By all rights, it was a spook ship—everyone onboard was sworn to secrecy, marked on various lists and documents, and ready to be terminated in case of loose ends. That was how ORI ran.

Of course, Aiden knew the reason for the bustling hangar—they were preparing for the departure of the BAC-SIG team Silent Lamb. Aiden himself was part of Silent Lamb, and as he stared across the hangar, he could see the other members of the rest of the team.

Silent Eye, or _Sierra Lima_ over radio chatter, was composed of six people of varying backgrounds and abilities. Tara Pele, a curvy woman who originated from the colony of _Varus_ , a planet composed predominantly of those of Hungarian backgrounds, was Silent Lamb's leader, their observant eye. On field missions, she was designated "Overwatch." Then, there was Aiden and Cyrus Tavor, both field agents who did most of the hard work, in Aiden's opinion. They were deemed "Sabre" and "Cutlass" respectively.

After them came Adam Clementine, "Phoenix", the team's driver and pilot. The last two members of the team were based on technical expertise—Christie Rojas, their primary hacker, named "Mystic," and Bailey Freeman, "Groundhog," their infiltrator.

It was a solid team, in Aiden's opinion, and he had come to know them quite well over the four years they had worked together. Like all BAC-SIG teams, they had little connection with anyone outside of their group, and they liked it that way.

Issue was, scuttlebutt said that Colonel Nelson, their commanding officer, was looking for someone to add to Silent Lamb, probably from the various Special Ops units of the UER. Aiden didn't like that—another unknown member, who would likely create a dissonance in the team and disrupt their time-enhanced efficiency. At the thought, Aiden frowned.

Of course, there was also Black Eye, or "Bravo Echo," Silent Lamb's counterpart in their current task force. They had been deployed only days before with another ORI corvette into what was supposedly "Citadel Space," and were scheduled to remain incognito in neutral, and potentially allied, space for some time. Aiden barely knew Black Eye—this was only the second time the two teams were attached for a task force. The only members of Black Eye Aiden knew of were Miranda Lawson, an Australian woman who had many she knew infatuated with her, and Jacob Taylor, a former "corsair," or as Aiden liked to call the corsairs, "bounty hunter," who was brought into ORI's fold and trained to be a part of BAC-SIG. Aiden trusted neither of them.

Then again, Aiden didn't trust anyone besides his own team.

His thoughts were interrupted when Tara called his name. Snapping his head towards her, he saw that she grasped a small weapon in her hands, gesturing Aiden over to a table.

"Pearson! Get over here."

He nodded, before walking towards Tara, who pointed over towards a wall. "Aiden, get to the weapon rack, choose your gear, and get your armor on. Mission is a go, we're loading onto Honey Badger over there—"she pointed to a nearby UR/T-441 Condor Stealth Transport, "—for our first mission. Large batarian colony, lots of politicians and high-ranking officers to get tags on. We're heading out in ten."

"Got it." With that, Aiden left Tara, before moving over to the nearby wall. Upon arriving at his destination, he slapped a button on the wall, and it slid open, to reveal a rack full of weapons of varying size open to him.

Taking a brief look over his options, Aiden pulled out an R15 Rapid Assault Carbine, as well as an R14 Viper handgun. He finished off his loadout with an R65 Albatross, a PDW that many in ORI favored, before grabbing a selection of different magazines, some loaded with specialized ammunition. Finished with his pickings, Aiden moved over to a nearby table, where dozens of different modifications and tools sat.

He set the R15 RAC on the table, before brainstorming. The mission, he assumed, would be somewhat like a wetwork mission—no disguises, no civilian work, but mainly operations in the shadows, where Silent Lamb could creep through the city unnoticed. For that, he would need a stealth based kit that could handle firepower, accuracy, and stealth, at the same time. Maximum efficiency while staying undetected. Thus, Aiden grabbed a slew of different attachments. A suppressor, nearly mandatory, was needed. A small red-dot sight, set at 2x zoom optimized for close-range engagements, but could still handle medium ranges. A foregrip and flashlight were also taken, and finally, an underbarrel attachment, an M90 Modular Accessory Shotgun System, prepped and loaded for tranquilizer darts, for a worst-case scenario. Nearly finished, Aiden grabbed a nearby tool, before inserting it into the R15's trigger system. With a few pulls of the tool's trigger, he under-gassed the weapon in a controlled manner, modifying the carbine's internal systems for a lower rate of fire, in exchange for much greater control. Moving onto his R14 Viper, Aiden attached a similar set of attachments, before finally moving onto the R65.

The R65 would be optimized for CQC only, so Aiden first replaced the barrel with a shorter one, and added a suppressor. He slapped on another red-dot sight, this time set for 1x zoom, and a green laser-sight and angled foregrip. Finished with the R65, Aiden grinned, before picking them up and walking towards a set of lockers.

In the lockers sat a variety of different armors, vests, and suits, ready for use. Aiden opened one locker, gazing at its contents—an MH-41 Light Jaeger set, meant for use with the 21st Hunter-Killer Division, who were, funnily enough, also called "Jaegers." This mission was probably not meant for infiltration, as the Jaeger's "rivals," the 135th Infiltration Regiment, or "Wraiths" were meant for. No, this mission would likely bring Silent Lamb in contact with some hostiles, and thus, a "light infantry" set was more suitable for Aiden's needs.

Aiden took a few minutes to put the armored hardsuit on, before moving onto final gear: an AW-77 Beam Sabre, for hand-to-hand engagements, a TacPad and TacSight module for team needs, and finally, a cloaking module, a piece of equipment that could cloak its user nearly entirely, an invisible ghost within enemies.

With that, Aiden was finished. He tested his visor's light, the helmet briefly giving off an eerie red light before switching back off, and attached his weapons onto magnetic strips on his armor—his carbine on his back, his handgun at his hip, and the R65 across his spine. Satisfied with his selection, Aiden moved back to the others, who had all geared up and met near the Stealth Condor.

"You all set, Aiden?"

"Yep. I've got all the gear I need. Carbine, PDW, pistol, I'm green."

"Good. Let's all load into the Condor, I'll brief you on the way down."

"What's the name of the planet?"

"Torfan, is what the batarians call it."

* * *

 _ **Three days later**_ **…**

Ambassador Donnel Udina smiled a devious, yet deceptively charming grin, his teeth glaring back at him through the mirror. Looking over himself one last time, he checked for any possible wrinkles or such in his suit, before straightening his tie. Turning around, he opened the door to his private cabin's bathroom, steadily making his way out to the exit.

"Tina, inform Admiral Rogiero that I'm making my way to the bridge. He said our ETA was in ten?"

"That is correct, Ambassador Udina." The robotic voice of the RNS _Optio_ 's resident Virtual Intelligence replied. "The RNS _Optio_ and her escort are set to exit FTL in the Serpent Nebula in nine minutes and twenty two seconds."

"Thank you, Tina. That will be all." He made his way to the nearby elevator, pressing the button for the vessel's bridge. A few seconds later, the elevator let out a small _ding_ , and the doors opened, to reveal the command center of the ship.

The RNS _Optio_ was a Ticonderoga-Class Heavy Cruiser, a relatively new class of warships that had replaced the old Hallmark-Class cruisers. While it was armed with the traditional heavy cannon that was the trademark of heavier UER vessels, the Ticonderoga-Class cruisers were optimized for heavy missile support, its ammunition stores filled to the brim with missiles and torpedoes. The _Optio_ , however, was a unique vessel, since it led most primary diplomatic ventures. There were several private cabins onboard, and its land vehicle bay was removed for more space for both infantry and envoys. Its eleven-strong guard consisted of a variety of smaller vessels—two Prussia-Class light cruisers, three destroyers of both the Providence-Class and Lancaster-Class variety, two Jackdaw-Class frigates, one Skywhale-Class frigate, and three Peltast-Class corvettes. Overall, the small flotilla was deadly, but was far from being the strongest group of UER naval vessels.

Very far.

Despite that, Donnel Udina felt incredibly safe within the core of the RNS _Optio_ —the bridge, like all UER vessel bridges, was nowhere near a vulnerable point, sitting somewhere closer to the inside of the ship, and its viewports were merely screens point outwards, only disguised as windows for the psychological effect. All in all, a very safe ship.

Udina walked into the bridge, and watched as the hustle and bustle stopped, the various crew saluting him. Nearby, a man of seemingly Brazilian descent stood, his eyes gazing at a tactical screen. Udina approached the man, gesturing for the rest of the crew to be at ease.

"Udina. Tina told me you were coming."

"Good. She did her job. Wouldn't want to get the jump on you, dear old friend. Lord knows you're old enough, and we don't want your men thinking you've gone soft."

The man turned, a stern, almost angry, visage on his face. A few seconds passed as the two men nearly glared at each other, a tense atmosphere about. Suddenly, the man burst out laughing, hearty bellows leaping out of his lungs. "Ah, Udina, amigo, I've always liked you the most out of all the _politicos_ and _estadistas_. Maybe that's because we were squadmates once."

"Yes, yes, and don't tell me you've forgotten the bountiful amount of times I saved your life."

"I never will, my friend. The New Sahara Campaigns are something I'll never forget…"

The air suddenly turned grim, as the two men delved into their memories. After a few moments, Udina took a deep breath, before his disarming smile returned to his face.

"Ah, but, Rogiero, let's not dwell on the Insurrection. We've got things to do, an alien council to meet."

"Oh yes, indeed we do." Admiral Rogiero turned away, his body stance and face back to a visage of full, undivided attention. "ETA is in T-minus three minutes. We'll just have to hang tight until then. Comms, send out a communications packet ahead of us, let them know we're on their doorstep. We don't want any sort of diplomatic incident to occur now."

"Done, Admiral."

"Thank you."

The two men simply elected to wait, standing silently as they watched the tactical screen in front of them. Exactly three minutes later, the helmsman called out from the front. "Attention, all crew, standby for a return to sublight speeds. Disengaging drives in three…two…one…"

The vessel seemed to bounce slightly, before the RNS _Optio_ suddenly dropped out of its FTL bubble, returning to sub-FTL speeds. To the _Optio_ 's front floated an entire armada of vessels, of varying size, design, and color. The _Optio_ was soon joined by its escort, the array of smaller ships slamming into existence around the heavy cruiser.

"Admiral! Transmission coming in, appears it's from the lead vessel to our front—Ascension-Class Dreadnought, apparently." The voice of the _Optio_ 's Communications Officer sounded off.

"Open it."

Moments later, a voice rang through the bridge's speakers, feminine yet wizened. "Unknown vessel, this is the _Destiny Ascension_.Our comms and sensors mark you as the RNS _Optio_ , lead human diplomatic vessel. Confirm?"

"Confirmed, _Destiny Ascension_.This is Admiral Peter Rogiero, commanding officer of the RNS _Optio_ and the UER Diplomatic Flotilla. Ambassador Donnel Udina is aboard. Permission to approach the Citadel?"

A few seconds passed before the voice replied. "Granted, Admiral Rogiero. We're sending traffic information right now, take the designated path."

"Roger that, RNS _Optio_ is moving now. Escort group is sitting behind, ready to move in, as per the Ripley Protocol."

"Thank you, Admiral." The voice cut out, and the helmsman took the vessel on the path marked, leaving the rest of the escort behind. The Ripley Protocol was a series of UER naval laws and doctrines, stating that in any case of a UER ambassador being attacked, the diplomatic flotilla would take all measures necessary to extract any and all major personnel—even if it meant engaging a civilian structure, station, or planet. Based on the old 20th century movie, _Alien_ , it assured that Udina would be protected to the best of their extent.

"Udina, this is it. There's a shuttle waiting for you in the hangar, as well as a contingent of guards." Rogiero turned towards Udina, placing a hand on the ambassador's shoulder. "Take care out there, Udina. There's only five of us left out of our old squad. Don't wanna lose you too."

"I will, Peter. No worries about that." Udina put a hand at his side, where a large pistol was holstered. "I've still got my Maverick."

"That old thing? They updated that years ago."

"It still works for me. Anyways, I better get going."

In response, Rogiero simply nodded, turning away again. Udina calmly walked out of the bridge, nodding to a few guards who saluted him before entering an elevator. A few seconds later, the elevator reached the hangar, and the doors opened to reveal the large, expansive room. The ambassador walked towards a collection of Condor dropships, where several squads of marines waited. When he reached them, they all stood up, saluting, before one of the marines approached Udina.

"Ambassador Udina! Lieutenant Davies, commanding officer of 1st Platoon, Halifax Company. We're your guard for now."

Udina saluted him back, before looking at the shuttles. "I would have thought only one dropship was needed."

"Three dropships total, sir, partly to hold all thirty of us, and partly to provide a decoy in case of any hostile fire."

"Noted. Now, are your men ready?" Udina watched the other marines out of the corner of his eye.

"Yes, sir. Game plan is to land two shuttles in their docks, and have the other two ready for emergency drop. Eight of us will provide security on the way."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Now, let's be off, shall we?"

The marine officer nodded, before turning around and gesturing for his men to load into the dropships. Udina joined Lieutenant Davies in his dropship. The ambassador was given a mask, presumably to protect him from any harmful bacteria or diseases, while the marines were protected by their helmets. The Condors lifted off and flew out of the hangar with two wings of F-41 Kestrels as escorts, and the armored doors closed behind them, once more protecting the vulnerable part of the ship. The trip was silent, as the marines carefully checked their armor and weapons, readying themselves. Leaving the RNS _Optio_ behind, the Condor dropships approached the Citadel.

A few minutes later, two UER shuttlesslid into the dock. A collection of C-Sec officers took their places in the port, holding their weapons at the ready. With them stood Executor Pallin, watching as the two dropships landed. A few moments after, the shuttles' doors opened, as a stream of human marines exited. After them was a man clad in what looked to be the humans' formal clothing, clad in black and white.

The marines stood in formation around what Pallin assumed to be the ambassador, and the ambassador walked calmly towards Pallin, an air of charisma and confidence around the man. Upon reaching the turian, he smiled, though it was hard to see through the mask over his mouth. Remembering the humans' traditional gesture of greetings, Pallin held out a hand, gauging the ambassador's eyes. They briefly showed surprise, before he took the hand, shaking it warmly.

"Ambassador Udina, I presume? Executor Pallin, head of Citadel Security. I'm here to bring you to the Council Chambers."

* * *

 _ **Ajax System**_

 _ **December 16**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 2253**_

 _ **Ten days after the Battle of Antioch**_

"Captain Shepard."

Hans Shepard cleared his throat, before looking into Admiral Mikhailov's eyes, tinged blue through the QEC. He promptly saluted, before Mikhailov gestured for him be at ease. "Admiral Mikhailov, sir."

"Great work coordinating your ground forces with Colonel Capet—I'll be sure to commend both of you. Antioch has been successfully defended." The admiral looked away for a brief second, a contemplative look in his eyes. "I'll be frank with you, Captain. We lost many lives this battle, and the 15th Fleet took the brunt of the damage. Orders have come from the top for me to bring my fleet back to Arcturus."

"Sir?"

"What I mean, Captain Shepard, is that the 15th needs to recuperate. New vessels, new sailors, new marines, new everything. The 15th will only be a fraction of what it once was, and I'll be in charge of all that. So, Captain, the UER will need a different 'tip of the spear.' And that's where you come in. I assume the SPECWARCOM units have arrived?"

"Yes sir. Elements of the Special Assault Division, 11th Light Recon, and Bravo Cadre have arrived and been posted on the RNS _Crusader_."

"Good. They're the lead bullet, and Battlegroup Autumn will be the rifle that fires them. I've also commissioned two of the ships under my command to bolster your Battlegroup. The RNS _Perugia_ , a Winter-Class light cruiser, and the RNS _Georgetown_ , a Lancaster-Class destroyer."

"Any idea on where we're headed first, and when, sir?" Shepard asked.

"ORI told me they found some intelligence on a batarian planet they were scouting, Torfan. The batarians are planning something, an attack into our borders. Details are hazy, but we do know that they plan to raid New Mojave, in the Hydra System. Most likely, it will be a small attack, an incursion to test our defenses, see if we're ready to fight. Take Autumn there, and further orders will likely arrive based on new intelligence."

"Yes sir."

"Head to Argos Rho as soon as you can, New Mojave's garrison will be waiting for you. Dismissed."

The QEC promptly shut off, leaving Hans Shepard suddenly without the soothing blue light of the advanced comms system. Sighing, Hans turned around, nodding towards Commander Molina, his XO. "Molina, make sure the battlegroup is ready for transit, and send a message to helm to plot a course for the Hydra System—I expect to be on our way in twenty mikes."

"Yes sir." The XO turned to leave, before Hans called him back.

"And what's the status of our resident SAD unit?"

"They're settling in, sir. They were assigned to cabins 7A through 7F, near the hangars."

Hans grunted, motioning for Molina to be on his way before turning back to the QEC. _What time was I supposed to speak with Colonel Nelson? 1100?_ Shepard checked his watch, seeing, only just noticing that the time was 1055 when the QEC in front of him flashed a bright blue. Hastily, Hans pressed a button, promptly bringing up a hologram of a middle aged Caucasian man.

"Colonel Nelson."

"Captain Shepard, you're right on time. Frankly, I didn't think you would answer so quickly."

Hans narrowed his eyes—he had limited knowledge of this Colonel Nelson, yet from what he had gathered, Nelson was a high-ranking officer of the Office of Republic Intelligence. Naturally, he wouldn't trust the man. "I just got off a call with Admiral Mikhailov. But, to the point, what do you need, Colonel? I assume this is about the SAD?"

The Colonel crossed his arms, merely staring into Hans' eyes for several seconds. After what seemed like ages to Hans, Nelson grinned with a faux-charismatic shine to his teeth. "Captain, I realize there are several teams of the Special Assault Division currently posted on your ship."

"Yes, there are. Why?"

"I presume you received the dossier ORI sent you? On each SAD trooper?"

Hans frowned, trying his best not to reveal his emotions to the devious ORI commander. "I have. I've read over each profile, and I saw the message at the end. Observe, Colonel?"

"You know what I'm looking for, Shepard."

Hans attempted to keep up the charade for more time, yet finally sighed, relenting to Nelson's sharp glare. "I've got the troopers hitting the dirt on our next engagement, Colonel. I'll send you the best I find."

Nelson simply smirked, a dark gaze in his eyes. "Thank you, Captain, for your cooperation. Commendations are required, of course." Without further hesitation, the call was terminated, and Hans was once more left in the darkness of the communications center, without the blue light of the QEC. Rubbing his eyes, Hans pushed any thoughts on the current matter to the side, before leaving the QEC.

* * *

In the belly of the RNS _Crusader_ , a set of cabins lay within close proximity to the hangar. Originally empty, they had recently been assigned to four SAD teams that were assigned to the _Crusader_. They were in a favorable position—within a few minutes' walk to the armory, and right outside the hangar itself, those within the cabins could easily suit up and report for any mission without too much trouble.

The cabins were also in a very safe area of the ship, relatively. While the bridge was always the safest part of any space-worthy vessel, located in the middle of the ship, cabins 7A through 7F could hold around sixty marines or sailors and protect them from many different hazards. In case of boarders, the cabins provided a series of hallways and chokepoints that could aid the residents in mowing down rows and columns of hostiles that attempted to navigate the area.

These thoughts, and others, roamed through Lieutenant Victor Evans' mind as he analyzed his newest residence. The newest member of the SAD team Disciple 2 had nothing else to do, having already cleaned his R27 Harrier sniper rifle and eaten alone in the mess hall. The rest of his new team was likely to arrive soon—they had ventured off to eat some fifteen minutes before. Shaking his head, Victor turned towards the nearest door, which revealed the inside of one of the cabins.

Disciple 2, Scarlet 1, Overture 1, and Royal 2 were the newest additions to the RNS _Crusader_ 's compliment—the four SAD teams were assigned as the tip of the UER's spear against this new enemy, the _batarians_. While the two teams from the 11th LRD and the one from Bravo Cadre would supplement them, the SAD units present were the forces that would provide most of the action. Of course, this meant that they were in the most danger. This was something that the SAD welcomed with open arms, however—the Special Assault Division was composed of the some of the best marines that the UER had to offer—demolitions experts, hackers, infiltrators, snipers like Victor, anything and everyone in the Marine Corps aspired to be a Special Assault Trooper.

Victor himself had caused many heads to turn when he was inducted into the SAD. At the tender age of 19, he was likely one of the youngest to ever join the SAD, when the average age was somewhere around 28 or 30. Victor had not even had much real combat experience—only a few battles here and there where he had somehow done some good. The young lieutenant was, frankly, not sure if he could match par in the coming days—nervousness and anxiety penetrated his bones to the point where feeling sick in the stomach was a routine thing for him.

Victor's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a clap on his shoulders. He whipped around, only to see Captain Jonathan Volker, Disciple 2's team leader.

"Hey, el-tee. Making yourself comfortable?"

Victor stared into Volker's eyes, before smirking. "Wouldn't you like to know, Cap?"

The SAD captain returned his gaze with a hard glare, before laughing. "Good to see you're at home, though we would have liked for you to join us at mess." Looking behind Volker, Victor saw a steady stream of the rest of Disciple 2 enter the large cabin.

"Looks like the rest of the team's here now," Victor said. "Though I don't know all their names yet."

Volker grinned, walking away to one of the bunks in the room. "Meet and greet is for later, el-tee. For now, let's go over your portfolio, since we're due to exit FTL in about thirty mikes." He picked up a datapad, gesturing for the young trooper to sit down.

Victor nodded, heading down to his own bunk before taking a seat. "Ask your questions, sir."

"Alright, first off. Datapad says you're specialized in both long range combat and CQC. Sniper?"

"Correct, went through AMC for a few months, and then attended the Special Combatives Directive. Rated for both designated marksman and sniper roles."

"Nice," Volker said, before pointing to one of their squadmates in the room, an attractive brunette woman, shorter than all the others in the room. "First Lieutenant Valerie Black, our resident sniper. You'll be posted with her—you're the sniper, she's the spotter. Listen to her, el-tee, and you should be fine."

"Roger. Anything else, sir?"

"I do have one other question—your portfolio says you're 19. How the hell did you make it in to the SAD this early?"

How did Victor make it in at his ripe age? Delving into his memories, Victor contemplated his earliest experiences in the service. He had been in basic training at age 17, hoping to enter the Marine Corps for his mandatory years of service, and had been featured as one of the most promising recruits of his class. His peers had ranged from excellent, to absolutely dismal, and yet there were several that were arguably brighter than Victor ever was. And yet, that one day, during one of his training sessions, a man dressed in a sleek black suit had joined them, watching over them.

Observing them.

And at the end of that session, the "G-Man," as the trainees had begun to call him, talked with the drill instructor for an infuriating amount of time. At the end of that, the G-Man had pulled Victor aside, offering him additional training.

Thus, Victor had been pushed into the world of SPECWARCOM. Nearly four more years of training had pushed the young man into an entire slew of punishing exercises, sessions, and learning experiences. "Mock" torture and interrogation sessions, marksmanship drills, leadership programs, excruciating jogs and runs that lasted days at a time, a myriad of many different courses that culminated in a survival "exercise," where he and fifty other graduates that were older than he was were dropped onto the dangerous planet of Oppenheimer, to last through countless hazardous environments.

By the end of it, Victor had been the SAD trooper the UER wanted, along with the fifty others with him. Of course, there were still SPECWARCOM units that were, in effect, better than the SAD, yet the Special Assault Division was one of the most elite units in the United Earth Republic.

Last Victor had heard, there had only been twenty others in the long history of the SAD that had entered the unit at a similar age over the two hundred years the unit had existed. Latest scuttlebutt from his SPECWARCOM acquaintances had said that some girl by the name of Shepard was undergoing a similar process, but instead to the 76th Marine Special Operations Division—a sister unit to the SAD, of sorts, but which was instead based on tactical insertions and stealth, as opposed to the "shock trooper slash demolitions slash brute force" methods the Special Assault Division was known for. Hence the "assault" in the name.

Wait. Shepard. The same Shepard as the one commanding Battlegroup Autumn? Maybe it was the man's daughter.

No matter. Victor noticed that Volker was still waiting upon an answer from him, and left his thoughts to provide one. "Long story, sir, not sure we have enough time to go through it all. Long story short, some G-Men decided they liked how I looked in basic, and picked me up—much like my old drill instructor would do Friday nights, but with hookers on Masada IV."

In return, Volker chuckled, setting down his datapad. "Well, the antics of your old DI is something I don't care to learn about, but that's beside the point. We're done with the questioning, and I suspect we'll be leaving FTL in a couple minutes." Volker sat up, grabbing Victor's hand to help him up. "Get down to the armory, gear up and suit up—we'll be the first ones down on New Mojave."

Victor nodded, giving a lazy salute before making for the exit. He turned, however, when he heard Volker's call out behind him.

"Disciple 2, let's move out to the armory! Once you're done putting your makeup on, meet me and the others in Briefing." The various members of Disciple 2 all got up, talking to one another, and Victor started moving again towards where he thought the armory was.

"Hey, Evans! Wrong way, man, armory is this way!"

Maybe he was wrong.

 **Codex:**

 **Corvette: Light screening, patrol, light duties.**

Grendel-Class Corvette: 230 meters long, 57 meters wide.

Ship of the Line: RNS _Grendel_

Specialty: Light Duties, Patrol

Armaments:

 **Main Guns:** 1 Spinal Mounted MGC

 **Missiles:** 2 Orion Missile Pods—1 on each side. 140 missiles each.

 **Torpedoes:** 1 Fracture Torpedo Pod—1 on front. 2 torpedoes.

 **Point Defense:** 20 60mm Gauss Gatling Rifles

 **Shielding:** 350 kilotons

2 Spacecraft

100 Marines

 **Ticonderoga-Class Heavy Cruiser: 1,125 meters long, 300 meters wide.**

Ship of the Line: RNS _Ticonderoga_

Specialty: Heavy Missile Support

Armaments:

 **Main Gun:** 1 Spinal Mounted HMC

 **Broadsides:** 200 LGCs

 **Missiles:** 16 Raven Missile Pods—7 each side, two front. 80 missiles each.

 **Torpedoes:** 6 Fracture Torpedo Pods—4 Front, 1 on each side. 4 torpedoes each.

 **Point Defense:** 185 50mm Gauss Gatling Rifles

 **Orbital Bombardment:** 2 OB Mini MCs

 **Shielding:** 12,000 kilotons

125 Spacecraft

2,450 Marines—One Expeditionary Regiment

 **Prussia-Class Light Cruiser: 850 meters long, 265 meters wide.**

Ship of the Line: RNS _Prussia_

Specialty: Medium Fire Support

Armaments:

 **Main Guns:** 2 Spinal Mounted MMCs

 **Broadsides:** 125 LGCs

 **Missiles:** 8 Raven Missile Pods—5 on each side. 60 missiles each.

 **Point Defense:** 130 60mm Gauss Gatling Rifles

 **Orbital Bombardment:** 3 OB Mini MCs

 **Shielding:** 7,500 kilotons

75 Spacecraft

2,000 Marines—One Amphibious Assault Regiment

 **Destroyer: Meant for escorts and screening the heavier units.**

Providence-Class Destroyer: 675 meters long, 215 meters wide.

Ship of the Line: RNS _Providence_

Specialty: **Mainstay Destroyer** , Heavy Escort

Armaments:

 **Main Guns:** 2 Spinal Mounted LMCs, 1 Spinal Mounted MMC

 **Broadsides:** 50 LGCs

 **Missiles:** 8 Orion Missile Pods—3 on each side, 2 on front. 180 missiles each.

 **Torpedoes:** 1 Fracture Torpedo Pod—1 on front. 2 torpedoes.

 **Point Defense:** 85 60mm Gauss Gatling Rifles

 **Orbital Bombardment:** 1 OB Mini MC

 **Shielding:** 1,250 kilotons

65 Spacecraft

2,000 Marines—One Amphibious Assault Regiment

 **Lancaster-Class Destroyer: 650 meters long, 200 meters wide.**

Ship of the Line: RNS _House of Lancaster_

Specialty: Heavy Escort

Armaments:

 **Main Guns:** 2 Spinal Mounted MMCs

 **Broadsides:** 65 LGCs

 **Missiles:** 8 Orion Missile Pods—4 on each side. 180 missiles each.

 **Torpedoes:** 2 Fracture Torpedo Pods—2 on front. 3 torpedoes each.

 **Point Defense:** 75 60mm Gauss Gatling Rifles

 **Orbital Bombardment:** 1 OB Mini MC

 **Shielding:** 1,000 kilotons

35 Spacecraft

1,800 Marines—One Amphibious Assault Regiment

 **Jackdaw-Class Frigate: 500 meters long, 140 meters wide.**

Ship of the Line: RNS _Jackdaw of the West_

Specialty: Light Escort, Fast Response

Armaments:

 **Main Guns:** 2 Spinal Mounted LMCs

 **Broadsides:** 25 LGCs

 **Missiles:** 5 Orion Missile Pods—2 on each side, 1 on front. 145 missiles each.

 **Point Defense:** 40 60mm Gauss Gatling Rifles

 **Orbital Bombardment:** 1 OB Mini MC

 **Shielding:** 600 kilotons

15 Spacecraft

1,600 Marines—One Minor Expeditionary Regiment

 **Skywhale-Class Frigate: 475 meters long, 145 meters wide.**

Ship of the Line: RNS _Flight of the Skywhales_

Source of RAF Inside Joke (Because of the name.)

Specialty: Torpedo Frigate, Light Escort

Armaments:

 **Main Guns:** 1 Spinal Mounted LMC

 **Broadsides:** 25 LGCs

 **Missiles:** 4 Orion Missile Pods—2 on each side. 160 missiles each.

 **Torpedoes:** 6 Fracture Torpedo Pods—5 torpedoes each.

 **Point Defense:** 40 60mm Gauss Gatling Rifles

 **Shielding:** 540 kilotons

15 Spacecraft

1,600 Marines—One Minor Expeditionary Regiment

 **Peltast-Class Corvette: 215 meters long, 53 meters wide.**

Ship of the Line: RNS _Theban Peltast_

Specialty: Light Duties, Patrol

Armaments:

 **Main Guns:** 1 Spinal Mounted MGC

 **Missiles:** 2 Orion Missile Pods—1 on each side. 135 missiles each.

 **Torpedoes:** 1 Fracture Torpedo Pod—1 on front. 2 torpedoes.

 **Point Defense:** 20 60mm Gauss Gatling Rifles

 **Shielding:** 279 kilotons

1 Spacecraft

125 Marines

 **UR/T-441 Condor Stealth Transport**

Variant of the S-441 with the ability to cloak for stealth pickups or drop-offs.

Primary: K/L-71 Dampened Repeater Chaingun (K/L-71 DRC)

Crew: 4, Pilot, Co-Pilot, Navigator, Engineer

Passengers: 8

Tier 3AV Shields

Cargo

 **R15 Rapid Assault Carbine (R15 RAC)**

(Republic-15 Series 3)

Muzzle Velocity: 2150 meters per second.

Uses MA-31 Rounds.

RoF: 915 RPM

Capacity: 40 Rounds

Force: 1775.78 ft-lbf

RAF's Standard Issue Carbine, Issued to Combat Engineers, Combat Medics, etc. Domestic version used by law enforcement.

 **R65 Albatross**

(Republic-65)

Muzzle Velocity: 1800 meters per second.

Uses MA-26 Rounds.

RoF: 1,015 RPM

Capacity: 40 rounds

Force: 1043.92 ft-lbf

Standard UER/RAF submachine gun, issued to specific units as a sidearm. Civilian availability.

 **R14 Viper**

(Republic-14 Viper)

Muzzle Velocity: 1600 meters per second.

Uses MA-20 Rounds.

RoF: 610 RPM (3 round burst).

Capacity: 21 rounds

Force: 634.48 ft-lbf

Derivation of the R2, smaller and more compact, fires burst.

 **R28 Harrier**

(Republic-28 Harrier)

Muzzle Velocity: 3650 meters per second.

Uses MA-49 Rounds.

RoF: Bolt-Action

Capacity: 6 rounds

Force: 8089.70 ft-lbf

o High-powered, standard-issue rifle for RAF snipers and marksmen. Can punch through shields and heavy armor at extremely long ranges. Capable of taking down the barriers of an Atlas Mech in two shots. Semi-anti materiel.

 **AW-77 Beam Sabre**

The AW-77 Beam Sabre is one of many different melee weapons used within the UER military. The main blade, the size of a medieval dagger, is composed of a nano-carbonite titanium, capable of cutting through industrial-quality steel, and can easily pierce armor or cut through heavy-duty belts or cables. The blade is further augmented by the addition of a hololight blade, which aids its overall cutting ability. The AW-77 Beam Sabre is used by many light infantry units within the UER, as well as among special forces units. However, its sibling, the AW-19 Hololight Baton is used specifically by the Special Assault Division.

 **AW-19 Hololight Baton**

The AW-19 Hololight Baton is another use of UER hololight technology. The main weapon is composed of a telescopic baton of nano-carbonite titanium, and is a potentially lethal weapon that can easily incapacitate hostiles, or even crack skulls open and break necks. However, with the addition of the hololight blade, the baton can be used as a hacking and stabbing utility, used in close quarters combat in a style similar to those of the ancient Roman legionaries.

 **Author's Note:**

Hey, guys, welcome to the 7th chapter of The Inheritance of Man. This was mainly a filler chapter, meant to be the intermediary between the action, but I hope you all found it satisfactory. Again, many thanks to Archangel, my beta. Please review, as all words, criticism or praise, is appreciated.

 **Individual Replies:**

six samurai of dragon order: Don't worry, in my head canon, the Citadel/Alliance species also have vessels with comparable shields. These numbers were the product of several nights of number crunching by both me and my beta, Archangel. :)

NightWithMoon: Thanks for the criticism, Night. This is all appreciated, and I'm considering all of this. You seem to have the hang of some of the stuff you were talking about, so do you mind if I confer with you occasionally on some matters? I have my beta, Archangel, obviously, but I can take all the help I can get.

So, people were asking about the shield strengths, and here's the answer:

I'm basically using shield strengths and cannon strengths pulled from my beta's story, "Long Talons of the Hierarchy," and the forum associated with it, "Codex of the Talons verse." We basically assumed that while the Systems Alliance, as a relatively new faction, had weaker firepower than, say, the Turians. The catch is that the Alliance, after the First Contact War, ramped up their vessels' abilities-32 kilotons to 86, etc. etc. The Primarch-Class dreadnought, for example, has one to three main guns with 100.289 kt per shot, while it has around 32,000 kilotons of shielding and the Kwunu has 42,000 kilotons of shielding. On the other hand, has the Viridian-Class Battlecruiser, the closest analogue, with about 96 kt with its two main guns and 45,000 kilotons of shielding, and the Destiny Ascension has about 62,000 kilotons of shielding. If you guys want, I can copy and paste our number crunching in private messages. This is mainly a response to one of the Guest accounts and six samurai of dragon order.

Guest, the reason we're buffing the Mass Effect verse is to make up for the sheer strength of the UER. The UER itself can match the other major powers individually, but would not be able to handle the entirety of the Citadel. However, I agree, the ME universe is one of the weakest out there-Halo, Star Wars, Star Trek, they'd all dominate in this universe. The only sci-fi piece of fiction I'd think ME could handle is Battlestar Galactica. But the weakness of ME did not suit my needs, so I did buff them. If this bothers you, I apologize, but it's too far in too change it now. Thanks for your criticism, it does help, believe it or not.


	8. Chapter 8: Tip of the Spear, Part 2

**Edit: Forgot section dividers, may have caused confusion among readers. Hopefully that is now fixed.**

 **Author's Note:**

Hey, all, and welcome to the eighth chapter of The Inheritance of Man. Hope I didn't keep you guys waiting too long.

A few things of note, before we begin:

So, I've felt that recently, the story has a had a lot of action and explosions, but not enough exposition; not enough character development, not enough story, you get the point. Right now, I feel as if my characters are cardboard cutouts that we don't give a damn about. So, while this chapter is all action, I plan to fix that.

So, the gameplan is to have this chapter go through the Battle of New Mojave, in its entirety. The next few chapters, however, will be mainly exposition, character development, and plot-development. They'll be split between which "area" of the story the characters are in-one chapter for those in Battlegroup Autumn, the other for the 15th Fleet, etc. etc. Hopefully these next few filler chapters won't be too boring, because I aim to make you guys actually give a damn about the characters.

Now, on to the story, without any delays!

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing besides the UER.**

Ambassador Donnel Udina looked up towards the Councilors, his face completely blank as he analyzed the current situation. Three councilors—one for the asari, another for the salarians, and the last for the turians. They were perched high, behind a large desk akin to that of a court judge. The arrangement itself made Udina feel as if it was meant to portray a sense of elitism, of a "holier-than-thou" attitude.

Of course, that was likely, as these three were figures of extreme authority, responsible for the greatest of the Citadel's interspecies relationships. No wonder they wanted to give a sense of greatness. And thus, Udina proceeded to steel himself, ready for the diplomacy.

"Ambassador Udina. Welcome, to the Citadel." Udina merely nodded, not feeling the need to say anything.

The asari councilor spoke first, possibly proclaiming some seniority within the group. "Ambassador, you represent humanity and the United Earth Republic, yes?"

"Indeed I do, Councilor. The United Earth Republic has seen fit to send me to engage officially in diplomatic ventures. Treaties, alliances, trade agreements, and others are expected to be discussed, as well as the…" Udina paused for a second, accenting the severity of his next statement. "The ongoing war."

"Yes, the war," The turian councilor responded, sighing. "I expect that the war is the matter of greatest importance."

Udina nodded towards the turian. "Yes, the war itself, and humanity's involvement in it, is of critical importance. Other matters can wait."

"Ambassador, what exactly does the UER intend to do about the war?"

"Councilor… Tevos? The United Earth Republic fully intends to respond to the batarian and krogan's attack with full force. We have already begun measures to declare a state of total war against them, and our forces are already mobilized."

Tevos nodded, as if somewhat satisfied by his answer, and a tad relieved. She looked briefly at the other two councilors, who nodded. "Ambassador Udina, in light of this new situation, the Citadel Council would like to offer an alliance, between the Citadel and the United Earth Republic. We could all use some allies in this war—the Citadel is hard pressed to survive it."

"That is to be discussed, but I expect my superiors will enjoy some sort of alliance. What exactly is the current state of the war?"

"I'll be frank, ambassador—it's not good. The krogan were enough to challenge us alone, but with the batarians, we've been fighting a two-front war," the turian councilor said. "We've lost several planets already, and our forces are spread thin. The latest battle we're fighting is on Digeris, a turian colony, and we're running desperate defensive campaigns on Cyone and reclamation maneuvers on Invictus. If the UER could relieve one front, most likely the batarian front, then it would help us immensely"

Udina simply nodded, agreeing with the simple plan. It was the start of a relationship with the Citadel—possibly a lead into an even greater one, yet it was good. Verbalizing his agreement with the turian councilor, Udina proceeded to delve into the more intimate aspects of diplomacy.

* * *

"Helm, what's our ETA to the Hydra System?" Captain Hans Shepard crossed his hands behind his back, staring directly ahead at his main tactical view.

"Five mikes, sir!"

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Comms, start sending out hails to any UER vessels at our destination. We need as much intelligence as we can get."

"Aye aye, Captain."

Hans simply grinned, satisfied at his crew's promptness. Though the UER Navy was full of dedicated individuals, he was definitely happy at the fact that the RNS _Crusader_ 's crew was, in his point of view, amongst the best of them all. However, a few seconds after the _Crusader_ 's communications officer sent out the hails, a set of red lights appeared in front of Hans. Emergency signals.

"Comms, open those signals immediately!"

Lieutenant Hadley promptly cleared the signals, allowing the entirety of the bridge to hear the transmissions. "Unknown UER vessel, this is the RNS _Rider_! Do you read?"

Hans immediately stood at attention, his mind cleared of any thoughts besides action. "Hadley, get me a line to that ship now!"

"Done, sir!"

Shepard nodded, clearing his throat before he spoke. "RNS _Rider_ , this is the RNS _Crusader,_ we read you. What's your situation?"

"Oh, thank god, Shepard." The voice sounded relieved, as if a heavy weight was suddenly lifted from its shoulders. "Comm buoys are down, we weren't able to get out any messages. Divert your FTL course immediately, hit the edge of the Hydra System if you're able to. Hostile batarian vessels have landed troops on New Mojave!"

"What's your remaining strength, _Rider_?"

"Four vessels—two light cruisers, _Rider_ 's one of them, and two destroyers. Everyone else is dead!"

Hans frowned, unhappy at the prospect of dead humans. "Do you have any intel on the situation on New Mojave itself? Civilians, the governor, anything?"

The voice hesitated for a moment, as if catching its breath, before continuing. "Batarian fuckers only landed troops about twenty minutes ago, they can't have had enough time to dig in or round up civilians. Last I heard, Governor Montoya and his council are being held hostage in the Capitol."

"Acknowledged, _Rider_. Our ETA is one mike, we'll be there in a few. What's the enemy troop strength?"

"They've got six ships left, all around corvette to light cruiser weight. We gave 'em a hell of a beating before they drove us off."

"Copy that. RNS _Rider_ , standby for our arrival, we'll take care of things. You get your men rested and resupplied. _Crusader_ out." With that, the transmission closed, leaving Hans once more in the relative silence of the bridge. He turned to the side, gesturing for another man. "Commander Molina!"

"Sir!" The young XO saluted Hans, ready for orders.

"Make sure Colonel Capet's marines are ready for a hot drop onto New Mojave—M79 Cuirassier OEIFVs. Get all of the senior Marine officers in briefing with me, we'll be going over our game plan once we hit sublight speeds."

"Yes, sir. Anything else, sir?"

"Yes, relay the orders through the rest of the Battlegroup. This'll be our first major engagement after Antioch."

Commander Molina nodded, saluting Hans before walking away, datapad in his hands. Hans shook his head, groaning inside, before making his way towards the elevator.

 _Hopefully we don't fuck this up…_

* * *

Lieutenant Victor Evans looked forwards, matching the movement of the rest of the 36 SAD troopers with him in the large briefing room. A stoutly man, his dress uniform gilded in gold and red trim, stood in the middle, his hands atop a table that glowed an eerie blue. Colonel Price - the commanding officer of the resident SPECWARCOM teams - was the man's name, and he gave off a certain aura of fearless courage and the need for respect. An experienced man—one that Victor could admire.

"Special Assault, Light Assault Recon, Bravo Cadre. You all know what you're here for, what you've trained for." The man paused for effect. "This will be our first mission in this new war."

"New Mojave, men, is a critical colony on the fringe of UER space. It's a large communications epicenter, handling most of the comm relays and buoys on this side of the UER's territory. We lose this planet, and the UER will have a very… _very_ , bad day." Colonel Price looked out towards his men, narrowing his eyes. "Therefore, it is imperative that we do not lose this colony! So, while the marines are dropping on the planet in their IFVs, you men, of the United Earth Republic Special Warfare Command, will have a _very special role_ in the liberation of New Mojave."

Colonel Price first gestured to a set of marines in one corner of the room, clad in medium armor with reinforced jet packs on their backs. "11th Light Reconnaissance! Your job is to handle the rooftops. New Mojave's capital city, and _only_ city, New Vegas, is a hive of casinos and skyscrapers. Scout out the rooftops, and hit the x-rays from above as the regular marines scope out the streets at ground level."

Victor smirked—he had a lot of respect for the 11th LRD. They were quick and strong, and could often turn the tide of a battle on their own through their ingenious methods of flanking. They would be a force to reckon with on the battlefield. Listening again as the colonel continued, Victor grasped his helmet tightly at his side.

"Bravo Cadre! Engineers, heavy infantry. Your job is to blow up any places that the four-eyed fuckers might have holed up in. Bunkers, buildings, grocery stores, the closest retirement home—light 'em on fire, fill them with plasma, or level them with explosives, I don't care. Just get the job done. Captain Pietro, you know your men, and you know what's expected of you." Captain Pietro, the resident leader of the Bravo Cadre unit onboard, simply saluted.

"Now, the Special Assault Division! You troopers have the most important role of all. You see, while all the marines, the 11th, and Bravo Cadre are hitting the city, you guys will be infiltrating the Capitol building, and perform a hostage rescue. VIPs are Governor Montoya and his council. Disciple 2 will infiltrate, while Scarlet 1, Overture 1 and Royal 2 will stake out the Capitol from the outside. Keep the VIPs alive until extraction can be pulled in, and take out as many of those four-eyes as you can." Colonel Price slapped his hands together, pulling away from the blue table. "We're done here, SPECWARCOM. All units, head down to the hangar for your transports. Dismissed."

* * *

"Attention all hands, this is your captain speaking. We've got five mikes before we enter New Mojave's atmosphere, so strap yourselves in and standby. If you look to your right, there are several bags into which you may expunge the contents of your dinner, and to your left should be a button to press that will do nothing, and simply serves to relieve yourself of stress. If this is your first flight, good luck, and if it isn't… we sympathize. Thanks for flying Air Condor." The speaker's transmission promptly closed, and the interior of the Condor dropship descended into silence.

"Hey, Lancer! Don't we always get the sarcastic pilots?" A large Caucasian man called out to Jonathan Volker, hefting his R250 SAW, a light machinegun. Volker turned, smirking.

"Seems so, Viking. Dontcha' love it?" In response, the hulking man laughed, before taking notice of Victor, who was sitting next to him.

"Hey, man. You the rookie?"

"That he is, Viking. Now, don't go dumping all your bad habits on the kid." On Victor's other side sat Valerie Black, who carried an R64 Adaptive Combat Rifle. She was apparently Victor's spotter, as per Volker's orders, and held within her a sense of ferocity. Viking or, as his actual name was, Jason Dunn, gave a genuine smile.

"No guarantees, Black." He turned back to Victor, who sat quietly, holding his sniper rifle. "Say, kid, we need a name for you."

Victor turned, an eyebrow raised under his helmet. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you need a name. We've all got one in this squad. We've got Volker, who's called Lancer, and he's our _fearless leader_. Ahmad over there, we call him Evocati, our infiltrator. Girl over there, Jennifer Comstock? Hardline, she's the one who's gonna keep you alive if you've got a gaping hole in your chest."

"Ah, come on, Viking. No need to scare the kid. He's in the SAD now, probably won't get scared in the first place. He'll love the danger." The girl smirked, a devious look in her eyes. "Besides, I'd probably ignore a gaping chest wound. Probs' dead at that point." Victor chuckled at that.

"As I was saying, next one is Clown, Devon Riley. Heavy weapons guy number one, he is, but he likes to call himself a grenadier."

"That's the proper term for it." Clown, a relatively small man, sat back, lounging in his seat as he spoke.

"Proper my ass. Then you've got Black, she's your spotter. Gerard Grayson, now he's our pointman, CQC expert. We call him Dusk. Bishop over there, his name is Maliq Johnson. He's Demo-guy two and CQC two. Finally, we've got me, our resident friendly Squad Automatic Rifleman."

"Otherwise known as Viking."

"He loves to fight like one, and loves to drink like one!"

"Shame he can't hold down his liquor."

"Ah, shut up, guys." Dunn, otherwise known as Viking, laughed, seeming very much like a hearty old Nordic viking in that moment. "Now, we need a name for you. The fuck do we call you?"

"Rook." Black called from her position, smiling. "We'll call him Rook. Short for Rookie. Good name, huh?"

Victor turned to face her, nodding, before looking at Viking again. "What do you think?"

The large man thought for a moment, frowning deeply. Finally, he burst out in a grin, and clapped Victor's shoulder. "I like it! It's a good name, so we'll call you Rook from now on."

Volker, or Lancer, smiled, before nodding. "Then, let's all give a warm welcome to the newest member of Disciple 2. Rook, our bastion of the castle!" The various occupants of the Condor cheered, before they were interrupted by the pilot once more.

"Attention, all passengers, I'd hate to interrupt your little love-making in the back, but please standby for atmospheric entry, in 3… 2… 1…"

With a sudden _boom_ , the cabin of the Condor shook and rattled, as its passengers were bumped around, having only the straps around their seats to hold them in. Victor held on for dear life, as the dropship violently entered New Mojave's atmosphere, the transport barely rated for such fast entries.

"Aaaaand, we're in! Be advised, LZ is still five mikes away. Sit tight, and watch the fireworks as the marines come down from orbit. For your use, a set of viewports will be opening in the sides of the cabin. Enjoy, Disciple 2."

* * *

Corporal Kevin Bradley sighed calmly as he watched the hustle and bustle of the hangar. Marines, technicians, and sailors rushed this way and that way, all anxious or eager to engage the batarians on the ground. A few familiar voices reached his ears, and Kevin turned to see the rest of his squad approaching.

With the addition of Justin Ybarra, Winter 3-2 had been turned from a small four-man crack squad into an adaptable one composed of five men. His squadmates had hit it off with Ybarra pretty well, as had Bradley, and Winter 3-2 had embraced the increase in its numbers. Standing straight, Kevin gave a relaxed salute to his squad leader, Staff Sergeant Steve Grays, before he addressed them.

"Hey, girl scouts! You're finally here, eh?" Approaching them, Kevin gave a high-five to Cooper and nodded towards the others. "Enjoy making those cookies?"

"Hey, Kevin, our cookies are fantastic. Not sure what you're getting at there." Alves said, eliciting chuckles out of the rest of the squad.

Sergeant Grays simply patted Kevin's shoulder, handing over an R8 SCAR. "And you forgot your rifle again, Bradley. At this rate, I'm going to have to report you to the Supply Sergeant."

"Nah man, Sergeant Rico loves me, he won't do shit."

"You sure about that, _Corporal_?"

Kevin simply laughed, turning back around towards a nearby armored vehicle. "Ah, fuck you, sarge. Besides, I was down here early, setting up our transport. M79 Cuirassier Orbital-Entry Infantry Fighting Vehicle. I love these god-damn things, can even wreck tanks if the driver's good enough."

The squad made their ways towards the vehicle, watching as a hatch opened at the top of the IFV. A man, clad in a black tanker outfit, emerged, his helmet's sigil denoting him as a member of a mechanized division. The man looked at Winter 3-2, frowning.

"Hey, you guys Winter 3-2?"

Sergeant Grays nodded, before responding. "Yeah, we are. Time to load up?"

"That it is, Sergeant. Get in, hangar's opening up in ten mikes."

Grays nodded, before motioning for the rest of the squad to enter the IFV. A large ramp opened at the back, allowing the marines access to the inside.

Once inside, the marines took their seats, cradling their weapons in their hands. Kevin looked at Sergeant Grays, eyeing the closing door in the corner of his eye. "Hey sarge. What's the deal, what're our orders?"

Steve looked at Kevin, before turning the TacPad on his wrist on. "Orders for us ground-pounders are simple—hit the dirt, kill any bad guys, and rescue any civilians. We've got several caches of DM12 rifles coming with us, too, to give to civvies. Special Forces guys are hitting the Capitol, extracting the governor, so we're to create as much of a diversion as we can."

"So, mechanized insert, then screening through the main city?" Cooper asked from the side, his R260B on his lap.

"Correctomundo, Private."

"What about the relay stations outside the city, sir? Don't the batarians give a damn about those?"

"Not that I know of, Alves. Seems they're more interested in the city itself. Now, Ybarra. You got a link-up with any air support?"

Justin Ybarra shook his head. "Nope. Air support is off for now, they're relegating it to the higher-ups. Unless we get some gunships on station, I can't do shit."

"Redcells or Valkyries?"

In response, Ybarra simply whacked Alves on the head, signaling his aversion to the question. "Redcells, dumbass. You think a small colony like this is gonna have Valkyries on the ground? They've only got a small airfield, nothing that can fit an A/R-12."

Alves massaged his head, before putting his helmet on. "You ain't gotta hit me like that, Techie."

"Shoulda had your helmet on, sailor-boy." Ybarra smirked, but the smile was quickly wiped off his face when he saw Kevin.

"Techie. I _like_ that. We got Sarge, and we got Techie." Kevin nudged Cooper, leaning in close. "You think we should have some sort of deathmatch between our resident sergeants?"

"Hey, hey, hey, _Corporal_. You're toeing the line there, buddy."

Kevin turned towards Sergeant Grays, the devious smile still on his face, though hidden by his helmet's faceplate. "I'm not your buddy, _sir_."

"That's it, you're demoted to Girl Scout, Bradley."

"I thought you were the Chief Girl Scout."

Their merrymaking was interrupted, however, when a small speaker in the corner of the IFV crackled. "Attention, all passengers, hangar is opening in one mike. Strap yourselves in, and get ready for a Mechanized Orbital Entry."

Kevin looked down, strapping himself in his seat, before looking at Grays. "Hey, sarge. How many times have you been in a MOE?"

Grays turned his head towards Kevin, a grin on his face. "About… ten times, now? What about you?"

"Six, sarge. It never gets old."

"Ten seconds!"

"Really, now? I would have expected someone like you to cry for your mother every time you're deployed through MOE."

"Nah, sarge. It's really fun—like a roller coaster, but better." Kevin smirked, before relaxing in his seat. "Now, here comes the fun part. Dropped from orbit, down to the surface. Who's to say we're not gonna die on impact?"

"About a thousand different safety regulations slapped on this vehicle, chucklefuck. Now shut up so you don't bite your tongue off." At that, a light in the corner opposite the speaker lit a bright scarlet.

"Light is red! Light is red! All passengers, secure yourselves."

The light in the corner turned green a few seconds later, and the IFV started to rumble forwards, the driver locking its wheels as it went.

"Light is green, light is green! Dropping in three… two… one! Dropping now, hold tight, marines!"

The M79 Cuirassier soared out of the open hangar of the RNS _Crusader_ , quickly joined by a multitude of other IFVs and APCs. The vehicles gave off the feel of a hoard of wasps as they fell down, gaining speed as they entered New Mojave's atmosphere. Inside the IFV, Kevin grasped his harness tightly, his knuckles turning white under the pressure. Grays' radio crackled, Colonel Capet's voice coming through.

 _"All units, be advised, landing zones are hot. Viper Company, you're with me, we're setting up an FOB right outside the city. Callsigns Winter, you're the tip of the spear, so don't fuck up. Estimated time of arrival is one mike, so get ready! Captain Cole, I expect the best out of you."_

Captain Cole's voice rang through, slightly distorted by the interference. _"Copy that, ma'am. Winter knows what to do."_

 _"Captain Cole, Winter 3-1, where the hell are we landing, sir?"_ The voice of Winter 3-1's squad leader queried, his voice coming through the radio.

 _"Inside the city, 3-1. Grid sectors Mike Whiskey through Mike Zulu, marked on your TacPads—it's a large highway, plenty of space for Winter to land. Hot drop, so immediate engagements are likely."_

Kevin looked at Grays, noticing that his squad leader's face was full of joy and excitement. "Jeez, sarge, you weren't kidding when you said you loved it!"

In response, the staff sergeant looked back at Kevin as if he was slow-witted. "Of course I wasn't, Corporal. You think I'd lie about that? MOE's are the biggest rushes I've ever had."

"Twenty seconds!" The driver's voice sounded off, and Kevin looked back at the ground, preparing himself for the impact.

 _Nineteen… eighteen… seventeen…_ Kevin could feel the rising heat inside the cabin, sweat starting to pour down neck. He heard a sharp _hiss_ , and the temperature seemed to drop an significant amount—enough to prevent the IFV from burning up at all, but not enough to abate the discomfort the marines faced.

"Ten seconds!"

 _Ten… nine… eight…_ He looked to the side, seeing that while Cooper and Ybarra were at ease with the ordeal, Alves looked like he had wet himself. The sailor-turned-marine had never gone through a MOE before, much to the Slavic-Hispanic technician's chagrin. The man had both disarmed and set off countless numbers of bombs and explosives, yet did not fare well with one of the UER Marine Corps' most infamous methods of combat insertion.

 _Five… four… three… two…_ The IFV seemed to rock violently up and down, shaking the marines in their seats. "One! We're on the ground boys, get ready to move out!" The driver of the Cuirassier called out, immediately setting on clearing the IFV's surroundings. "Gunner, first target! Twenty meters, light armored vehicle, fire Spiker!"

The security harnesses around the marines lifted, and Kevin wasted no time in retrieving his weapons from their racks. He readied himself, taking off his rifle's safety, and looked at Grays, eager for orders. In the muted air of the cabin, Kevin Bradley could hear the notorious _swish swish_ of the Spiker mounted on the IFV, spitting out rocket after deadly rocket. "Sir, Type 1 demount?"

"Affirmative, Bradley. Cooper, Alves, take left side. Bradley, Ybarra, take right. I'll take center."

"Roger that."

"Copy."

"Wilco, sarge."

Grays looked towards the back of the IFV, eyeing the light in the corner, when the driver spoke again. "All passengers, be advised, ramp is descending in five seconds! Good luck out there, marines."

A few seconds later, the light in the corner turned green, and the ramp descended with a _hiss_ , revealing the outdoors to the marines. Immediately, they rushed outside, the members of Winter 3-2 taking their positions. Upon snapping to the right, Kevin saw several figures running along the road, his HUD marking them as hostiles. He pulled his rifle's trigger twice, sending two bursts into the distance, and was satisfied when the figures fell.

"Contacts right!"

"Contacts left, on the road! Hit 'em hard, Cooper!"

Immediately, the area around them erupted in light as bullets sang through the air, speeding this way and that way. Kevin ducked, narrowly avoiding a shot from a batarian, before taking cover against the Cuirassier, his rifle up and at the ready. He could see several other IFVs landing nearby, their own occupants dismounting. He turned to look at Sergeant Grays, who was firing off his rifle. "Grays, orders?"

"Hold 'em off for now, Corporal. Cooper, infantry, twenty meters to your nine. Get that MG deployed now!"

Kevin frowned, before turning away, sighting several batarians to his front. He aimed his rifle at the nearest one, firing off several rounds. The batarian fell, clutching its chest, and Kevin snapped to his next target, hearing Grays' next words.

"Alright, Winter 3-2, we're oscar mike! Orders are to head up the highway, clear out any batarians, and liberate the residential center." Kevin nodded to himself before standing up, clutching his rifle tightly. The squad started to move north up the highway, quickly joining the rest of Winter Company and their light-armored companions.

* * *

"Black, Rook, you guys in position?"

"Affirmative, Lancer. We've got eyes on." The voice of 1st Lieutenant Valerie Black sounded somewhere to Victor's right, but the young SAD trooper paid it no heed, continuing to keep his scope aligned towards the rest of Disciple 2.

It had been some twenty minutes since their deployment groundside, and Captain Jonathan Volker had immediately seen fit to allocate Victor and Valerie to sniper support, watching over the rest of the team as they moved along the ground. They were posted on the edge of a roof, watching for any hostiles that would reveal Disciple 2's location. Faintly, Victor could hear the signs of battle somewhere behind them, telling him that the marines were still engaging the batarians.

"Copy that, Black. From here on out, use squad designations, and keep us posted on any hostiles."

"Roger that, 2-1. 2-5 and 2-6 will clear the street ahead of you, standby."

All of the different numbers, designations, and callsigns were a tad confusing to Victor, but he surmised that he would get the hang of it soon. From what he had gathered so far, the nicknames like "Rook," "Lancer," and "Black" were in-squad nicknames, generally not to be used over radio or other means of communication, while designations like "2-1" for Volker, "2-5" for Valerie, and "2-6" for Victor were strictly radio-communication callsigns for logistics purposes. Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Victor stood up to follow Valerie, who was beginning to head to the northern side of the roof.

"Come on, Rook, we need to shift north to get eyes on."

"Got it, moving." The two snipers ran along the roof, eventually reaching the north side where Victor laid down, setting up his Harrier on a bipod. "Alright, in position. Got any eyes on, Black?"

Valerie looked through a set of binoculars, before she seemed to focus on something. "I've got one, Rook. 300 meters, balcony. Reference 2-1's position—above and to the right, three stories high. He's facing us—take him out."

Victor followed Black's directions, eventually finding his target—a batarian, clutching what looked to be a rifle. Taking a moment to zero his rifle, he took aim, holding his crosshairs right above the batarian's head to compensate for any distance further than 300 meters. He breathed in, holding the air for a few precious seconds, tension and anxiety rising in his his head. A moment later, Victor exhaled, pulling the trigger at the same time.

A hit. The batarian fell without a sound, his head spotless besides a small bloody hole on the nose. He was dead. Victor pulled back his rifle's bolt, chambering another round.

"Good shot, Rook." Valerie said, before contacting the rest of the team. "2-1, you're clear for sixty meters. Watching for any other hostiles."

"Solid copy, 2-5, we're moving. Any signs of enemy convoys or squads?" Volker said.

"Negative, 2-1. Hold, we've got contact. Rook, sight up. 300 meters, ground level. Reference 2-1, fifty meters to the right. Take the shot."

Once more, Victor went through his mental steps, finding his crosshairs over the batarian's head. He was about to pull the trigger when he noticed movement. Stopping himself, Victor continued to watch, seeing three other batarians join the first.

"Damnit. Black, target is a no-go, he's got friends. You don't happen to have anything besides that ACR, do you?"

"That's a no, Rook. I can still hit 'em at this range, but it won't be as effective. Besides, there's four of them now."

Victor frowned, continuing to observe the batarians. However, the patrol group left the first, continuing along some sort of patrol route. "Black, they're gone. Only got the one left."

"Good. Take the shot."

Victor nodded, before sighting in again. He exhaled as he pulled his rifle's trigger, smirking slightly when he saw the batarian crumple silently.

"Good shot, Rook. 2-1, you're clear. Be advised, we suspect there's a patrol route near the dead batarian, so hide the body for us."

"Roger, 2-5. We'll be moving parallel to your position, so keep an eye along the road."

Victor continued to watch along the rest of Disciple 2's path, seeing nothing of note. Valerie seemed to be of a similar mindset, and they watched over Disciple 2 as the team moved out of their line of sight.

"2-1, 2-5. We've lost eyes on, relocating to OP Bravo now."

"Roger that."

Victor looked to the side, seeing Valerie stand back up. He joined her, cradling his rifle with care. "What's the score, Black?"

"We're moving closer to the Capitol now. We're set to RV with Scarlet, Royal, and Overture, and then our orders are to hit the Capitol with Scarlet. OP Bravo overlooks the Capitol, but I think sniper support is being taken over by Royal's team." Valerie explained as the pair ran along the roof. Victor simply nodded, and within a couple minutes the sniper team found themselves perched on a lower building, overlooking the streets behind a large domed building.

The Capitol, it seemed. It was pearly white, probably constructed of concrete and steel, was low and stooped, and bore red and black flags on each side, emblazoned with the golden eagle of the UER. Victor couldn't see any batarians around it—it was likely that they were all inside the Capitol building itself. Valerie seemed to be of the same mind as she contacted the Disciple 2.

"2-1, you've got a clear path to the Capitol. Orders?"

"Standby, 2-5. You've got Royal 2-7 and 2-8 heading towards OP Bravo now, they'll be taking over sniper support." Volker paused, his breath audible over the static of the radio. "Once they're there, rendezvous with us on the ground. We'll be hitting the Capitol from the rear."

"Wilco, 2-1. Holding."

Victor proceeded to wait, continuing to observe the Capitol building as he did so. A few minutes later, a pair of armored figures approached their position. Victor stood up, holding his rifle at the ready as he called out the challenge phrase.

"Icepick!"

The two figures stopped, before responding. "Everest!" Victor gave a light grin, slightly relieved, before approaching the two figures, Valerie following.

"Welcome. Royal 2-7, 2-8?"

"Affirmative. We'll be taking over sniper support, you guys better head down."

Victor nodded, before turning around to follow Valerie to the edge of the roof. Once there, the young trooper kneeled, taking a cord at his hip and attaching it to the roof. Securing the cable tightly, he turned around, before leaning off the building. Victor turned towards Valerie, who had done the same.

"See you on the ground, Rook." She started to rappel down, and Victor promptly followed, jumping and landing below their initial position. A few seconds later, they had both reached street-level, and the two troopers detached their cables, preparing to move out.

"Okay, clear. Come on, Rook, let's RV with 2-1."

"Got it, I'm with you." Victor started to run, following hot on Valerie's heels, and they quickly found themselves meeting with the rest of Disciple 2. Victor moved his Harrier to his back, attaching it on one of the magnetic strips, before replacing it with his R8 SCAR.

"Black, Rook, glad to have you join us." Volker said. "We're setting up to breach in a few mikes."

"What's the plan, chief?" The squad grenadier and demo, 1st Lieutenant Devon Riley, asked.

"One second, Clown." Volker brought up his TacPad, and a after a few touches on the screen a holographic image popped up, showing a map of the team's surroundings. "Now, we don't know where exactly the governor is being held, so we need to hit all places at once. The plan is to breach and clear on multiple fronts and floors. Evocati," he said as he pointed to Lieutenant Malouf. "You're with me and Hardline—we're taking section A, on the ground floor, with a shaped charge, C-9. Clown, you lead Dusk and Bishop—you guys are hitting the second story, right here. Use flashbangs and detpacks." Volker took a moment to point at a specific point on the map, looking at the designated troopers as he did so.

"I assume Rook and Viking are with me?" Valerie asked, hefting her sidearm, an R65 Albatross.

"Affirmative, Black. You'll be hitting the third story, same equipment as Clown's team. Governor Montoya is likely either on that floor, or on the ground story in the Council Floor. Everyone know their roles?" The rest of Disciple 2 nodded their heads, voicing their affirmations. "Right. Now guys, once we hit this place, the x-rays will likely be crying wolf on every channel they've got. We need to speed through and get ahold of the VIP, while our counterparts defend outside. Let's head to our positions, second and third floor teams, grapple up."

Victor stood back up, following Black and Viking to their designated position. Throwing his rappel hook up the wall, he proceeded to slowly climb up the building, Valerie and Dunn with him. They reached the third floor, and he moved above his marked window, preparing to breach.

"Disciple 2, sound off."

"Clown, in position."

"Black, in position."

"Copy. All units, standby for breach."

Victor waited patiently, one hand holding the cord and the other holding his rifle. He looked over to his right, seeing Dunn with his machine gun, and Valerie with both a flashbang and a small, round ball in her hands. A few seconds later, Volker spoke once more.

"Disciple 2, ready to breach. 3… 2… 1… breach, breach, breach!"

Victor watched as Valerie threw in the flashbang first, waiting until a white light seemed to burst out of the now broken window. Then, she threw in the detpack, which promptly detonated within the building. Victor could hear a multitude of pained cries, but hesitated no longer, pushing with his feet off the wall. He swung through the window, breaking it with his feet, and found himself within a large room, red carpet lining the floors. Immediately, he detached himself from his cable before snapping his rifle up, assessing the situation.

 _Eleven tangos, mixed small arms. Four in front of me, leaves seven to the others. Headshots only, clean and quick._ Victor aimed at the nearest batarian and pulled his rifle's trigger twice, sending two MA-31 rounds at the hostile's head. He then snapped towards the next alien, firing a burst into its head, before repeating the process with two others.

"Clear left!" He turned on his heels and assumed a crouching position, seeing that both Valerie and Dunn had finished off their share of batarians. The large room, while clear, was empty of any humans, and there was a single door out to what Victor assumed was the hallway. Taking a moment to listen, Victor could hear the sounds of conflict outside—gunshots, explosions, and shouts. Evidently, the other SAD teams had engaged the batarian reinforcements.

"Room is clear, keep moving! Rook, take point. Let's move!"

"Roger!" Victor stood back up, approaching the exit. Leaning against the wall, he turned back towards Valerie, who instead nodded towards Dunn. The large man smiled, walking in front of the door. After a moment's hesitation, he stepped back, before giving the door a powerful kick.

 _Boom!_

It flew open, nearly breaking off of its hinges, and as Dunn retreated from the opening, Victor exited, immediately turning left on a dime—he knew that Valerie would take the right. Aiming down the narrow corridors, he crouched down, his eyes wide and alert. "Clear left!"

"Clear right! Rook, you take point—we're moving to the left."

"Roger, moving!" Victor calmly walked along the hallway, scanning every nook and cranny. "Black, you know the layout?"

"Affirmative, I've got everything on the TacPad. Wait—there's several rooms to our right. Rook, get your TacSight on Magnetic, see what's going on in there."

"Roger." Victor put a hand to the side of his helmet, before tapping it. His visor promptly went black, before turning his vision into a faint, ghostly white.

While TacSight was a staple of every UER infantryman's equipment, most units were limited to specific vision sets, including Night Vision, Infrared, or FLIR. However, the more "elite" units of the UER were given access to more advanced suites that were ultimately more expensive. Magnetic Vision, commonly abbreviated as MGVS, was an advanced piece of hardware that enabled its user to effectively see through walls, highlighting electronic or magnetic origins. It was highly effective, seeing as how most modern armors, hardsuits, and equipment were largely digitalized.

Thus, Victor was able to see through the walls of the building. Scanning the rooms, Victor noted multiple small rooms off to the sides of the corridor that contained red figures—they seemed to be alert, and ready to take out the invaders.

"Black, marking targets on your TacSight now. You see them?" Victor said, gradually marking each target he saw.

"The red outlines? Yeah, I see them. Fifteen on this floor in total, three smaller rooms and one large one—looks to be a staircase." Black stood back up, nodding towards Victor. "Let's move."

Victor got up from his crouched position, slowly moving forwards with his rifle raised. As he passed one door, he took note of the two hostiles within, but ignored them. "Closed door right, two hostiles." Having passed the door, he waited, hearing Black and Dunn clear the room. A few seconds later they returned, the batarians within dead. Victor continued on his way, and they repeated the process with three other small rooms, before stopping before the door to the large one.

"Black, standby—seven hostiles left, all in this room."

"Copy. Team, get into position," Valerie said. Victor pressed himself against the wall, waiting as Valerie got behind him and Jason stood on the other side of the door. "Team, breach and clear on my mark. Viking, kick the door in. Rook, get a pulse grenade in there. Three. Two. One. Mark!"

Hearing her words, Victor pulled out one of the grenades strapped at his hip—An R31 Pulse Grenade, used specifically as an EMP weapon. Victor watched as Dunn kicked the door in, swiftly entering the room afterwards. Once he was in, he swiveled on his feet, taking note of the three batarians to his left and the four to his front. Immediately, Victor pulled the trigger, focusing on those to his front while leaving the others to Valerie.

 _Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!_ _Thwip!_

With four trigger pulls, four separate rounds entered the skulls of the unshielded batarians. He could hear similar gunshots behind him, as three bodies fell to Victor's left. "Clear!"

"Room clear. Rook, check the rest of the floor, I'll contact Lancer and Clown." Valerie said as she moved a hand to her helmet. Victor crouched down again, once more activating his TacSight. The floor seemed to be entirely devoid of batarians—they had cleared most of them out. Down below, though, Victor could see three blue figures matching their teammates. Turning the helmet module off, Victor turned back to see Valerie still speaking over the radio.

"So we've got the VIP?"

 _"Affirmative, Black. Ground floor is clear, and Clown told me they're mopping up on the second. Extraction is inbound in five, but we've still got a hot situation outside. We'll RV on Royal 2-7 and 2-8's PO in three. Copy?"_

"Solid copy, Lancer. Black out." Valerie removed her hand from her helmet, turning back to Dunn and Victor. "You heard him, guys. Let's move out."

* * *

 _Crack! Crack! Crack!_ Corporal Kevin Bradley flinched, hiding himself behind a small concrete barrier.

"Shit, shit, shit! I'm pinned down over here, help me out!" Kevin cried out, fumbling with his rifle as he attempted to maintain his composure. He could see small spits of dust sprouting out from the wall and street around him as shots landed far too close for comfort. Breathing heavily, Kevin decided to take a risk, quickly snapping out of cover to fire off a couple bursts. He barely managed to see the shots land true before being forced back into cover, his shields nearly breaking.

 _"Hold on, Bradley, support's on the way! Fuck, Cooper! Get that MG deployed, squad of foot-mobiles approaching on bearing 279!"_

Kevin flinched again as more and more dust sprayed up, pieces of the concrete barrier flying off as shots landed upon it. Nearby, blood spat out of the body of a deceased marine as the batarians continued to fire at the corpse.

"God damnit, sarge, if I die here I'm gonna haunt your fucking dreams of sex and wine for the rest of your miserable life! Get over here quick, _sir_!"

However, there was no response, and Kevin was about ready to give up and go out in a blaze of glory when he heard the low-pitched _ratatata_ of an R260B. He spared a moment to look up, seeing the muzzles of several different firearms poking out of a low-hanging balcony.

"Told you we'd be here, Corporal. Now, get up here before more of them arrive!" Hearing Sergeant Grays' voice, Bradley gave a low chuckle, before getting up cautiously. Looking over the desolate street to his front, he could see nothing but debris, sand, blood, and bodies. In the distance, he could hear the sounds of explosions, gunfire, and vehicles. Hesitating no longer, Kevin moved away from his brief hiding spot, moving up a small staircase into the sand-caked building itself.

Inside, Bradley could see a multitude of marines, all performing different actions. Some marines sat or laid on the ground, holding wounds as medics attended to them. At the windows and balconies, marines stood at the ready, watching for any signs of attackers. Looking over to the balcony that hanged over his initial position outside, he saw his squad leader, Sergeants Grays, as well as Alves and two other marines.

"Casualties, sir?" Kevin asked Grays.

"Well, we started with all four squads from third platoon, Winter Company. Now? We've got one—now two, dead, and eight wounded. Puts us at about twenty-six combat-ready men." Grays stopped walking, looking over at five other marines situated around a small table—the other squad leaders of Winter Company's third platoon, the third platoon's commanding officer, Lieutenant Richards, and Ybarra the Enlisted Terminal Attack Controller. "Get yourself rested and eat something—we've got rations in the corner over there. I need to meet with the other SLs, and raise Captain Cole."

Kevin simply nodded, suddenly noting his fatigue, before moving to a corner of the building. Plopping down, he rested his head back against the walls, closing his eyes. The events that had transpired so far since their initial drop were wearisome and exhausting, to say the least, and Kevin was glad to have a chance to rest, no matter how brief.

After dropping onto the main highway of the city, Winter Company had moved up along the road, taking out strategic targets as they did so. Somewhere behind them, Viper Company had set up a Forward Operating Base, while Avenger and Misfit Companies had targeted other parts of the city—Avenger had taken the nearby lake that bordered the city, while Misfit had undertaken a mission to liberate the economic center of the city, which largely consisted of casinos and entertainment venues. Winter Company and, by extension, Winter 3-2, had eventually reached the residential center, where batarian forces were allegedly concentrated the most, and had thus initiated a gruesome battle for domination.

Captain Cole had seen fit to detach the members of Winter's third platoon to their flank, tasked with holding a critical street that, if pierced, would lead straight into Winter Company's rear. Lieutenant Richards had chosen a large building—what seemed to be a restaurant—to concentrate the members of his platoon as well as his headquarters. With such a valuable chokepoint at hand, the batarians had thrown wave after wave of infantry and light vehicles at the restaurant, hoping to push back marines. However, Richards had chosen a good spot, as evident by their relatively low casualty rates.

Kevin's thoughts were interrupted when he heard Lieutenant Richards' distinct, low-pitched voice, clearly speaking to Captain Cole.

"Winter Actual, this is Winter 3 Actual. Do you read?"

 _"Affirmative, I read you. Send traffic, over."_

"Third platoon is still holding at Checkpoint Foxtrot, but hostile forces are still attempting to penetrate—we've got a buildup of enemies west of our position, and thermal's sighted at least two light armored vehicles. We need immediate AT support, how copy?"

 _"Solid copy. Be advised, Battlegroup Autumn has detached a flight of F/A-51 Zeus ASFs, Hammer 4-6 and Hammer 4-2. Inform your resident ETAC and get those birds to hit your targets. Winter Company is still hitting x-ray defensive lines, and we've nearly routed them, so hold for just a little bit longer. Winter Actual out."_

Kevin watched as Lieutenant Richards nodded, before getting Ybarra's attention. "Technical Sergeant, you still have your equipment?"

Ybarra looked at the Lieutenant, giving a brief salute before responding. "Yes sir, I do. I hear we have Zeus' on station?"

"Aye, we do. Get a line with them, Sergeant, and direct them towards the batarians positions out there."

"Yes sir." Ybarra turned away, crouching down while holding his radio equipment. "Hammer 4-6, this is Winter 3-2, do you read?"

After a brief moment of silence, the radio crackled with a slightly distorted voice. _"We read you, Winter 3-2. This is Hammer 4-6, flight of two F/A-51 Zeus Armored Strike Fighter ready with 65mm guns S-LAAGs. Send traffic, over."_

"Hammer 4-6, are you on sight for CAS?" Ybarra said, his face wrought with concentration as he looked out the balcony to the west.

 _"Affirmative, Winter, holding out for mission confirmation. You have one on station?"_

"That's a yes, Hammer 4-6. Close-in fire support, grid sector Charlie-Whiskey, coordiantes are six-four-niner… three-fife-one. Gun target line two-seven-niner. Your target is a grouping of x-rays staging at section near marked Checkpoint Foxtrot, how copy, over?"

 _"Solid copy, Winter 3-2. That's just within five hundred meters of your PO—danger close. Confirm?"_

Ybarra continued to watch out the window, eyeing the batarians warily. "Confirm, Hammer 4-6."

 _"Roger, fire mission danger close! Two guns, eight rounds, HE delay in effect. You have eyes on the sky, Winter 3-2?"_

Ybarra then looked up, catching sight of two faint figures in the sky. "Affirmative, Hammer 4-6. Give 'em hell."

 _"Affirmative. Guns trained on target… shot, over."_

Looking at the same position in the sky, Ybarra was able to see two pairs of bright flares in succession, signaling the expulsion of the 65mm shell. "Shot, out."

 _"Splash in five seconds."_

In the distance, four bright red explosions rocked the batarian positions, sending some of them flying as one of their vehicles nearly tipped over from the shockwave. Ybarra could hear their shouts of alarm, but kept his composure. However, the shot was slightly off target, only hitting the side of the batarian formation. "Splash, over."

 _"Splash, out."_

"Adjust fire. Direction 500, add 100, right 150, over."

 _"Confirmed."_

"Fire for effect, over."

 _"Shot, over."_

Once again, Ybarra could see another two pairs of flares, watching as a group of faint outlines raced towards the ground. "Shot, out."

 _"Splash in five seconds."_

This time, the 65mm shells hit true, as the center of the batarian formation was decimated, bodies and limbs flying as their vehicles were disabled. Their position entirely disrupted, the batarians began a hasty retreat from the area, only a fraction of their growing forces left alive. Ybarra let a small smile creep onto his face, satisfaction tainting the grin. "Splash, over."

 _"Splash, out."_

"Winter 3-2 copies, Hammer 4-6. Good effect, x-ray positions disrupted and enemy forces routed. Thanks for the assist, Hammer 4-6."

 _"Affirmative, Winter 3-2. Next time you're on the_ Crusader _, find a Captain Simons and a Lieutenant Bowles, and buy us some beers. Hammer 4-6 out."_

Ybarra turned away, an even larger smile on his face, as he watched and heard the whoops and yells of the men of Winter's third platoon, all of them sated by the explosions. He looked at Lieutenant Richards and Sergeant Grays, a questioning gaze in his eyes. "Well, I guess we're in the clear now, sir. What now?"

Lieutenant Richards chuckled, looking back at the rest of his leadership cadre. "Well, I just got word from Captain Cole—they've taken a few critical points, and they need us in the final push." Turning away, he raised his voice so as to get the attention of the rest of the platoon. "Third platoon, up and at 'em, we're oscar mike! Let's move out!"

Back in his corner, Corporal Kevin Bradley groaned before slowly getting up, stretching his arms and legs. He picked up his rifle, making sure the safety was on, before following Sergeant Grays out of the building.

 **Codex**

 **M79 Cuirassier—OEIFV (Orbital-Entry Infantry Fighting Vehicle)**

Mark 79

Primary: R26 30mm Gauss Cannon

Secondary: T98 Bull Multi-Repeating Spiker (Bull MRS)

Light TOW Missiles

Gunner: .50 Gauss Heavy Machine Gun

Three Man Crew—Driver, Gunner, Support

Holds 6 Passengers

Wheeled

The M79 is unique amongst other IFVs, in that it is the only IFV (and AFV) to be stationed within non-carrier/troop transport ships, and is deployed by dropping the Cuirassier from GSO. Heavy single-use jump-jets support the landing. Thus, the Cuirassier is used exclusively by the Marine Corps.

 **45th Special Assault Division: The SAD. November Group**

The Special Assault Division, or SAD, is composed of some of the best UER marines and soldiers. The SAD primarily takes part in dangerous raids, assaults, and infiltration operations that would be near devastating for regular UER Marines and soldiers to handle. However, they also occasionally take part in black operations, using alternate gear that cannot be traced to the SAD. The Special Assault Division's operations are usually loud, explosive, and bullet-filled. Any infiltration ops are solely used to get into a base undetected, plant explosives of any sort, and set them off while simultaneously fighting their own way out to extraction—usually to sow discord and confusion among hostiles. Training is a year and a quarter long, which ends in an extremely intense, 3 week long forced firefight between each of the trainees. They are also issued the AW-19 Beam Baton, which can be used as either a non-lethal blunt weapon, or a lethal shortsword-like weapon, depending on if the hardlight blade is activated.

 **11th Light Reconnaissance Division: The 11th LRD, Light Assaults. Echo Group**

The 11th Light Reconnaissance Division is an elite shock-trooper special operations division, specializing in light assault and reconnaissance. They are equipped with jump-jets, allowing them for unparalleled mobility on the battlefield. Training is a year long, and is intense, requiring elite parkour, mobility, and athleticism tests.

 **32nd Combat Engineering Division—Bravo Cadre: Bravo Cadre. Delta Group**

Within the UER and RAF, Combat Engineers are very important. Unlike military engineers of the 21st and 22nd centuries, the RAF's Combat Engineers are given intense combat training, and are considered the best when it comes to demolitions, hacking, cyber warfare, etc. The 32nd Combat Engineering Division—Bravo Cadre, or Bravo Cadre for short, improve upon these roles, and are considered the best of the Combat Engineers.

 **R250 Squad Automatic Weapon (R250 SAW)**

(Republic-250)

Muzzle Velocity: 2630 meters per second.

Uses MA-31 Rounds.

RoF: 975 RPM

Capacity: 200 rounds per drum magazine

Force: 2657.20 ft-lb

Standard Issue RAF SAW, for squad-based fire support.

 **DM12 Rifle (DM12)**

(Domestic Munitions-12)

Muzzle Velocity: 1950 meters per second.

Uses MA-31 Rounds.

RoF: 790 RPM

Capacity: 30 Rounds per Magazine

Force: 1460.77 ft-lbf

Favored by human law enforcement agencies and civilians.

 **C-9: The SAD uses the C-9 Self-Adhesive Explosive in a variety of forms for demolitions, breaches, etc.**

 **C-9 SE**

A version of C-9, SE being short for Sprayed Explosive, that is applied via a spray can, similar in size to a 21st century water bottle. The explosive, once applied to a surface, changes into a semi-solid, semi-liquid state, and is triggered with an electrical signal that is sent through the explosive, usually through a detonator. Used for small, inaccessible areas that require a certain explosive finesse. Small yield.

 **C-9 TE**

A version of C-9, TE being short for taped explosive, that is applied through a device similar to a tape roller—hence, the name. It adheres to surfaces that the device is rolled across, and is triggered in a similar fashion to the SE. Used for precise, shaped explosions that only detonate the areas the tape covers. Small yield.

 **C-9 SC**

A version of C-9, SC being short for shaped charge, that is stuck to surfaces through simple attachment. The charges take the form of bricks, and are triggered via detonators. Used for regular demolitions. Medium yield.

 **C-9 BC**

a version of C-9, BC being short for breaching charge, that is stuck to surfaces and detonated in a similar fashion to the SC. It takes the form of a squared, flat charge about 5 by 5 inches in area. Used for breaching walls and doors without harming the users in its general vicinity. Concentrated small-medium yield.

 **C-9 DET**

A version of C-9, DET being shorted for detonation, which is commonly referred to as a "detpack." It is a small round ball that is thrown through windows, doors, and other openings that can kill or incapacitate. Often used in conjunction with flashbangs when rappelling/breaching through windows.

 **R31 Pulse Grenade**

Specialized grenade, non-lethal. Used to incapacitate via sonic pulses, or can be set to an EMP mode. Popular with special forces.

 **Author's Note:**

Right, so that was chapter 8. Hopefully you guys enjoyed it, and please keep the top AN in mind.

As a side note, if you guys want to find out what exactly Ybarra and Hammer 4-6 were saying, you should look up Fire Discipline of wikipedia. Pretty cool stuff, but too long to explain in detail on here.

 **Individual Replies:**

MoonBurner: So, I'm basically writing the Codex entries as if they're written by the Citadel in the future, after the war. Hopefully that clears up any confusion.

Kaioo: That is a very good question, and hopefully it'll be answered in the next few chapters. We'll be coming back to the 15th Fleet and Hackett in the future, and how exactly he dealt with the situation will be addressed. Gotta remember... _ORI_.

Honestly, I don't know much about Battlestar: Galactica. My comment on that was basically going off of what other people have said on the topic. And yes, my beta and I have buffed Mass Effect, to deal with the relative strength of the UER. It was necessary, I would say, but if you have any contradicting ideas, please share them. :) And, for your final question: The UER has been building up their military since the first Insurrection. I would say that with the constant buildup, they would have a pretty sizable military and navy, as opposed to the more diplomatically-minded Systems Alliance. Same for the Turians, while the Asari and Salarians have relatively smaller fleets.

Defenestrated Typewriter: How the UER adopts ME technology will be addressed in the future but, safe to say, the UER will be sticking to their guns, no pun intended, for most of their military tech.

Effervescent Nova: I'll be honest, the lack of batarian shields was a coverup on my part, in part due to the illogical one-sided battle I had initially written up for the first engagement. If you have any ideas to fix that, please share them.

As for Krogan ships, I go with the logic that in sci-fi, naval/orbital superiority is _key_. There is no use in having an overwhelmingly strong army/marine corps that eradicates their enemy on the ground, when if their navy is destroyed, the enemy could simply bomb their ground forces to oblivion. Having both a strong navy and army is key. So, since i would think the krogans understand that, they would also understand they'd need capable vessels to support their groundpounders. Of course, it doesn't mean their vessels are stronger-I would think the krogans would simply make big guns with thrusters and such. And for the slugs: My beta and I have gone over the slug sizes and speeds for a long time. Initially, I had the UER firing slugs of masses in the hundreds of kilograms. Of course, we found this to be rather stupid-they wouldn't be able to carry as much ammunition, and would require much more power to fire off each shot. Of course, there was also balance in mind-if the UER fires such large slugs, we'd need to downsize the velocity of the slugs, which would give a vast advantage to the ME races-instead of engaging at middle ranges, the UER would have to be right in their enemies' faces, and the ME races would dominate at range. This is not good at all, and thus, we downsized the slugs while increasing their velocities. Hopefully that answers your questions.

Effervescent Nova (again): Honestly, for the matter of elcor and hanar, I was tipping between the two sides-I just went with elcor because I needed to get on with the to how the batarians how of the human systems... we'll be learning why in the future, and Silent Lamb will be at the forefront of that-they weren't just a one-time thing. And, you have to remember... the UER isn't the only source of humans, and they know much more.

Well, again, hopefully you guys all enjoyed this chapter. However, I may be taking a brief break from writing, maybe one to three weeks, so there may be a dearth in chapters for a short time. I just feel as if my stories are suffering from all the constant writing I have to do. Until next time, peace.


	9. Chapter 9: Tip of the Spear, Part 3

**Author's Note:**

So, it's been some time, I understand. Maybe a month? A little less?  
Sorry for the big delay, guys. I was originally going to have this chapter up and ready by November 1st or 2nd, once I had my first wave of College Applications finished, but a whole slew of other things kept me back from that.

And Fallout 4.

So, I do apologize, guys. Uploads will be regular from now on, hopefully. Not as frequent as in the initial chapters, but frequent enough.

This is a chapter meant for character development, so don't expect any action. But, if you do want to actually care for the characters involved in the action, be it space battles, ground battles, or political battles, give the chapter a shot.

Now, onto the chapter…

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing besides the UER.**

Captain Hans Shepard stood silently, his hands bracing him against a holo-table. Blue and red lights and bars flashed across the table, and the man sighed before looking up. Across from him stood Colonel Vanessa Capet, to his right was Commander Jameson Molina, the XO of the RNS _Crusader_ , and to his left stood a hologram of Captain Richard Montoya, captain of the RNS _Starshina_.

Montoya was a curious man, and was one of Hans' closest friends. Having served with him since they were fresh cadets, Hans trusted Montoya with his life, and had already trusted him with the position of "executive officer" of Battlegroup Autumn—if, by any means, Hans was incapacitated or even killed, Montoya would take over command of Autumn. While he had no death wishes whatsoever, Hans knew that in Richard's hands, the Battlegroup would run like a well-oiled machine.

Of course, while Hans was a bit of a maverick within the ranks of the UER Navy, often toeing the line of discipline, Montoya was as straight as an arrow—he had always been there as Hans' foil, the Leader to Hans' Lancer. There had been quite a few times where Shepard would have faced disciplinary action if it weren't for Montoya himself, and thus, the commanding officer of Battlegroup Autumn was thankful for the man's presence.

Bringing his mind out of his thoughts, Hans cleared his throat before speaking.

"Gentlemen, and lady, the Battle of New Mojave was a stunning success, and clears the way for further counter-attacks into batarian territory. We have the opposition on their back foot, and the hammer is ready to fall. Most of the UER Navy is prepped and ready, and we've bought them some more time to position themselves." Bringing his hand down to the holo-table, Hans swiped across it, the graphics moving across as he did so. "Colonel Capet, what are our casualties on the ground?"

The colonel stood ramrod-straight, her hands behind her back as she spoke. "Out of our 14,125 marines, 112 were killed and 514 are wounded. The deceased are being prepared right now, and the wounded are being treated. We'll have most of them ready for action within a few days or weeks."

"Thank you, Colonel. Prisoners?"

"None, Captain. All were executed."

Hans grimaced—he had never been a fan of the UER's iron-fisted demeanor in warfare, especially when it came to prisoners. Nevertheless, he set it to the side, before turning to Captain Montoya.

"Captain, I have reports that the rest of the Battlegroup is in perfect shape. Confirm?"

"Affirmative, Captain. We're all ready to go, no damage reported."

Hans nodded, before bringing his hand down to the holo-table once more. This time, it brought up a display of a solar system. One of the planets was highlighted—a frosty-white sphere, likely of frigid snow and ice. "Now, I've received further orders from NAVCOM. We're to set up a counter-attack, bring the fight away from our borders and into batarian territory." Pointing towards the highlighted planet, Hans looked up. "Battlegroup Autumn is to jump to the Kharsus System, in the Shadow Sea. It's a moderately-defended region, held tightly by the batarians. Recon shows that they have eighteen, maybe nineteen ships in the system."

"Our goal, however, is not the system itself—we can't hold that on our own. No, our goal is the fortress-world that the batarians are constructing on Marak-Tei, highlighted in red. Arctic, icy, frigid—the batarians have recently begun construction on the planet, and NAVCOM believes that Marak-Tei is a key batarian staging ground."

"What's the plan?" Captain Montoya spoke, crossing his arms.

"We jump into the system, move on the attack and take them by surprise. For our marines, I've still got a plan in the works, but that'll come soon. We have to wipe this base off the grid, however—nothing can remain. Any questions? Concerns? Red flags?"

The gathered officers were quiet, shaking their heads. Hans nodded, lightly pushing off of the holo-table as he did so.

"Then we're done here. All of you, dismissed. Commander Molina, plot a course to our destination, no need for rearms and repairs. Colonel Capet, top off your marines, make sure they're battle-ready within three days from now."

As Captain Montoya's visage flickered away, Molina and Capet turned away, leaving the small council room. Hans watched them leave before, with a few swipes of his index finger, he opened up his TacPad's resident email feature. Of course, while regular, non-official communications and emails were disallowed without the use of specialized terminals aboard naval vessels, secure channels disconnected from the rest of the network were enabled for use, and most officers had access to them on their TacPads.

Hans' fingers swiped quickly across the screen, words appearing in a letterbox format as he went along. A message to his daughter, Jane Shepard.

 _"Hey, kiddo. Haven't heard from me in a while, eh? How're you doing, Firebird?_

 _Sorry for the lack of communications these past few weeks. I was able to send out a few messages to your mother and your brother, see how they were doing. Your mother is fine, still working her job at the Delsin Scientific Conglomerate offices, though she still misses her marine days. Your brother is on his summer break, and he still wants to become an Enforcer. I think that after his twelfth year in school this coming winter, he'll enlist at the Rapture Police Enforcement Academy. Shame on him, breaking the Schaefer family's proud tradition of Navy and Marine service—Army's just not in our blood._

 _Are you doing well, Jane? I know that you'll be finishing up your last training semester at JNOC—heard from a few sources that you'll be joining up with MARSOC. Good luck, if that's the case. And if you do, when you get there, look up a man named David Anderson. If I remember, he's still a Captain, but he'll be moving to Navy soon, so he'll go to Commander, or Lieutenant. I'm sure he'll help you out—he's a good guy, a good friend._

 _Well, this is it for me. It'll be some time when you hear from me again. Reason is classified, of course. Have fun, and stay safe._

 _Your loving father,_

 _Captain Hans "Dash" Shepard (Schaefer)."_

Looking over his message, Hans wore a light, wistful smile on his face, before hovering his finger over the "send" button. After a moment's hesitation, he pressed down on the button, sending the message to his daughter. Hans looked up from his TacPad towards the doorway, before making his departure.

* * *

 _Blue. White. Yellow. Green. Blue skies, sheets of puffy white hiding in plain sight, whispering across the great expanse above. The yellow of the evening sun, falling as it gave way to the throes of night, the moon glittering across the bottom of the horizon opposite. The green, the grass, waving and weaving, the fertile pastures and meadows rising and falling in hills and fields. This was his home, his heart. It was where he had grown up—a small town to the east, a colony. Fresh, airy, new. Warm. Home._

 _"Victor, Victor, come on, bro! Don't give up!" A voice—feminine, yet strong. Determined, always pushing for his success._

 _Another voice—male. Moderately pitched, a bit on the deeper end, crisp and clear. His own, years before. "Ha, easy for you to say, sis! You don't have a wounded knee!"_

 _"Wounded my butt, Victor. That fall didn't hurt you at all. You're not a marine yet!" There, over the crest of the hill—a girl, maybe twelve or eleven. His sister. "Come on, hurry up! The light-bugs will be here soon!"_

 _Pressure, on his legs. Running, up the hill—a slight pain in his knee, the right knee. There he was. A boy, sixteen or seventeen. A bandage, around his knee. "Come on, gimme a break here, Kelsey!" There. Her name. Kelsey. His sister, his sister—she had always pushed him forwards, gotten him to keep moving and succeed when he would have given up._

 _"Nope, no siree! Gotta catch me first if you want a break." She ran away, pulling farther and farther, and Victor groaned, before starting to run again._

 _"Argh, fine! You're gonna regret that!" He started to sprint, ignoring the pain in his knee, and he quickly caught up, his longer legs and more powerful muscles bringing him closer and closer. A few seconds later, he had reached Kelsey, and Victor grabbed her, raising her up onto his shoulders like a sack of potatoes and spinning her around. Squeals and laughs of joy and joviality came from both brother and sister, the sun slowly moving down as the evening air grew colder and colder. Eventually, he grew tired, and Victor dropped his sister onto the grass before flopping down next to her._

 _"Heh, good job, bro. You finally caught up this time, didn't you?"_

 _He chuckled, resting his head on his hands as he looked up into the dark blue sky. "Yep, finally did, sis."_

 _"How long did it take you? Seventeen years?"_

 _"Aw, come on, Kels. Gimme some credit here."_

 _"Nope!"_

 _The two siblings simply lied silently, enjoying the cool air of the colony._

 _"Hey, bro."_

 _"Yeah, Kels?" He turned his head to look at his sister, who was doing the same._

 _"Are you really leaving soon? To basic?"_

 _"Sure am, sis. I'm seventeen, and I'm done with school. Gotta join up with the marines now."_

 _She didn't reply, and at first, Victor regretted what he had said, not wanting to hurt his sister. After a moment, however, she spoke once more, her words surprising Victor._

 _"Hey, bro? When you do go into the marines, I won't be there. You realize that, right?"_

 _"Uh… yeah? What are you getting at, Kels?"_

 _She pursed her lips, a hand moving to her face, as if in annoyance. "Victor, when you join up, I won't be there to push you forwards anymore. I won't be there to motivate you. So, big bro… promise me something?"_

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"Promise me, that when I'm not there for you, that you'll still push yourself and your limits. Even without me, you'll keep moving forwards, and never give up."_

 _"Yeah, yeah, I promise—"_

 _She swiped a hand at Victor, hitting his head hard. "I'm serious, Victor! Never! Give! Up! No matter what! Promise me!"_

 _Victor stayed silent for a few moments, looking back up into the sky, which had gotten eerily dark. "I… I promise. I promise, Kelsey. I won't give up. Ever."_

 _Kelsey looked away, back into the sky, content with Victor's answer. "Good. Good. Now, it's late, dontcha think? We should head back home, or mom will get worried. Come on, bro."_

 _The two siblings slowly got to their feet, moving back down the green fields and hills to the small town on the horizon._

* * *

"Hey, Rook. Rook. You there, kid? Wake up."

Lieutenant Victor Evans groaned, feeling quite sore all over as he slowly woke up. "I'm up, I'm up. What you need, whoever that is?" Victor opened his eyes, moving a hand to his eyes as he felt moisture.

"It's Bishop, and no, I don't need anything. Just waking you up, man—seems you had quite the dream. You were crying in your sleep, my man." Victor registered the voice—deep with an accent that seemed to be from the Earth city, New York.

"Crying? Oh, I didn't know. Bishop? Uh…" Victor racked his brain, trying to connect the callsign with the person. "Um… Maliq? Maliq Johnson?"

"That's the name. Now, wake up, man. Your shift is in forty-five mikes, anyways."

With another groan, Victor opened his eyes, sitting up as he did so. Wiping the water from his eyes, Victor took in the room—the cabin, where his team was garrisoned. To the side, sitting on another cot, was Maliq Johnson. The dark-skinned man grinned, pointing up to the side. There sat Lieutenant Valerie Black. "Black was the one who noticed you were crying."

Valerie chuckled, her legs crossed as she sat on her bunk. "What were you even dreaming about, el-tee? To make you cry like that?"

Victor looked up at his spotter, a slight frown on his face as he remembered his dream. Hesitating for a moment, Victor opened his mouth to speak. "Home. I was dreaming about home."

"Ah, home. We all get homesick sometimes." Black's face, however, adopted a sly smirk. "But that's not all we saw—or heard. A name, Kelsey? Who was she? High school sweetheart?"

Victor chuckled wistfully, looking down and grabbing his boots at the feet of his cot. "No, not that. She was my sister." He stopped for a moment, gazing to the side. "She always pushed me to succeed. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't even be here right now." Lacing his boots, Victor stood up and grabbed his fatigues—otherwise known as Battle Dress Uniforms, or BDUs, albeit without the armor and plating. Having slept with his fatigues' pants on, Victor simply slid on the shirt. He looked up, only to see a frown on Black and Maliq's faces. "What?"

"Was. You said was."

"…Huh?"

"You said she was your sister."

Victor looked away, a slight frown on his face, before making to leave. "Don't worry about it, it doesn't matter. My shift is in engineering, so I'll be heading off."

"You a techy, el-tee?"

"Affirmative, I like to think I know something about technology. I'll see you guys later."

Victor promptly left the room, waving his hands when he heard their good-byes. He made his way through the ship, eventually finding the elevator. Pressing the button for one of the many engineering levels, Victor waited as the elevator moved into the heart of the RNS _Crusader_. A few moments later, the lift _dinged_ , the doors sliding open. At the top, a line of text red "Engineering Floor 2: Tactical Systems." Victor exited the elevator, looking around for the Chief Engineer.

"Ah, you a marine?" A man called out from the side, carrying a clipboard in his hands. Victor turned towards him, saluting as he did so. "I'm Chief Engineer Pennies. Name and Identification Number?"

"Yes sir. 2nd Lieutenant Victor Evans, Identification Number one-four-niner-dash-two-two-five. My work duty is scheduled for engineering?"

The Chief Engineer looked down at his clipboard, before stopping on Victor's name. "Ah, right. Here you are, Victor Evans, specialization is in weapons systems? Welcome aboard, your station is over there, where those two dolts are." He pointed to a man and a woman who were fiddling with a set of terminals, chuckling as he did so. "Have fun with 'em, el-tee." Victor nodded, moving to leave when Pennies suddenly stopped him.

"By the way, what the hell is an officer doing on work duty?"

"Special Assault Division, sir. Lieutenants are basically lances and corporals, and captains are sergeants. Just how it is, sir."

"Copy, well, best be on your way, trooper." The Chief Engineer walked away, preparing to deal with several marines in BDUs that had just arrived for their own work duties. Victor shrugged to himself, before moving to the two engineers that Pennies had motioned towards. _Better introduce myself, eh? Make some friends…_

"Hey, you two, sorry I don't know your names. My work shift is here?"

The two engineers stopped their work suddenly, as if startled, and turned around to face Victor. The man, bearing a crimson beard, smiled warmly. "Hey, nice of ye te join us. I'm Engineer Donnelly, and this is Engineer Daniels." The man spoke with a heavy Scottish accent, making his speech a bit harder to understand. He leaned towards Victor, cupping his mouth as if trying to pass on a secret. "Be careful around her, mate. She'll do somethin' nasteh if ye dinnae know whatcha doin'."

The woman, Daniels, punched Donnelly hard in his shoulder, turning to face Victor as the other engineer winced. She gave a salute before speaking. "Ignore him, sir, he's a right idiot when it comes to certain things. Like he said, I'm Engineer Daniels. You here on work duty, sir?"

"The hell ye callin' him sir for?"

"Shut up, dummy, he's an officer! Notice the butterbars?" Daniels then saw Victor's raised eyebrows, and coughed. "Um, no offense, sir."

Victor chuckled, a smirk coming to his face. "Relax, no need to salute me or treat me like an officer. Right now, I'm just another grease monkey like you guys. What do you need me to do? I'm here for a few hours, so I'd best make use of my time."

Daniels stood uneasily, still visibly uncomfortable with treating Victor as anything other than an officer, but Donnelly moved forwards, clapping Victor on the shoulder. "Well, we could use some more help over here. We can't seem to get this thing working with just two people, so we could definitely use a third. Dinnae know what's wrong, though."

Victor nodded, following Donnelly and Daniels to the console. "Well, let's take a look, eh?"

* * *

Corporal Kevin Bradley walked easily through the halls of the RNS _Crusader_ 's crew quarters. He had just stopped by the closest armory, dropping off his armor and gear before taking his leave for the mess hall. Having just completed his work duty for the day, Kevin was in dire need of some food and rest.

Since the adoption of the UER policy of fully stationing marines on naval vessels, all marines were set with the tasks of "work duties" on their respective vessels. While the crew of the ships were the backbone of maintenance, the marines were also expected to take part in keeping the vessel and its inhabitants in top shape. According to each marine's Vocational Specialization, something that was determined by the Vocational Aptitude Battery every single member of the UER military took, he or she would take part in different duties throughout the ship he or she was stationed on. A more technology-minded individual might find themselves tasked with maintaining a vessel's reactor, weapons systems, or onboard vehicles, while combat medics and the like would pitch in at their vessel's resident medical bay. Kevin?

Well, again, he was just a normal rifleman, so he was tasked with guard duty in the bridge. A job that he had, not a few minutes before, just finished.

Passing through a set of doors, Kevin found himself at the expansive mess hall, a large series of rooms that could house up to one thousand crewmen or marines at once. Bleak, drab, and utilitarian, the mess hall was, to the normal eye, not a place of comfort.

To the marines and sailors of the UER military? It was heaven on earth—space, rather. Yes, space. That idiom did not seem to work here.

Nevertheless, Kevin pushed forwards, pumping his fist when he saw the absence of any long lines at the various counters and kitchens. It made sense, since it was, for all intents and purposes, early morning for the ship schedule—the clocks ran by the time on the human homeworld, Earth. Making his way to the nearest line, Kevin took a gaze at what was on the menu—breakfast food, most likely.

Muffins, with sausage, egg, and cheese on bagels. Hash browns, which looked suspiciously like wood. A few fruits on the side, that all seemed to be dried and left in the sun;, milk, of course;, and finally, oatmeal. It was probably one of the better meals served on UER military vessels. Nevertheless, Kevin took a tray of a gray make and color, and proceeded to scoop out the various foodstuffs, making his way to an empty table where he could eat his meal in piece, grabbing a set of silverware as he went.

Sitting down, Kevin was about to dig in when a sudden slap on the table interrupted him. With a startled jump, Kevin looked up, greeted with the faces of his squadmates. Sergeant Gray, Private Cooper, Alves, and the Techy, Ybarra.

"Hey, Bradley, thought yah were gonna eat without us? Think again." Cooper's deep southern accent came with a smirk, one that was matched by the rest of the squad.

"Eh, thought you guys were still asleep. Fuckin' brass had to slap me with midnight-fucking work duty. You know how it is."

This time, Sergeant Gray replied, sitting down with his own plate of food in his hands. "Nah, Corporal, its 0500 right now, think we'd sleep in?"

Kevin took a bite of his bagel sandwich, making sure to swallow before speaking. "Yeah, actually, I did. You guys are a bunch lazy fucks, I do all the work in the field."

"Yeah, yeah, give yourself all the credit. Wasn't me and Alves that saved your ass yesterday, right?"

Kevin looked up at Gray, his eyebrow raised. "I have no idea what you're on about, sarge."

The rest of the squad merely laughed, taking their own seats at the table. Kevin continued to eat, quickly joined by his squadmates, when Alves tapped his shoulder.

"Hey, Bradley. You really like that muffin?"

"Uh, yeah. I do. Problem with that?"

"Yes, it tastes like ass. Like everything else they feed us, but a thousand times worse."

Kevin smirked back, enjoying Alves' genuinely perplexed visage. "Well, not everything's as good as your s'more's and campfires, boy scout."

"Hey! I'm proud of my badges, thank you very much. Spent nearly eleven years of my life in a troop before joining up for my mandatory service."

"And do I look like I give a shit?"

Alves covered his face with a palm, before proceeding to pick up his own silverware. "Ah, just shut up, Bradley. Not in the mood to deal with your sarcastic ass today."

The squad proceeded to eat their fill in silence, the occasional joke being cracked and the odd quip stated. The relative quiet was broken when Ybarra cleared his throat.

"So, you guys are pretty close, eh? How long have you all known each other?"

Sergeant Gray wiped his face with a napkin, looking at Ybarra before speaking. "Well, Bradley and I go way back—four years now, is it?"

"Yeah sarge, four years. You were a corporal back then, leader of Fireteam Bravo in my first unit. Squad was designated Pincer 2-1, if I remember correctly." Kevin said.

Gray nodded, taking a sip of water before continuing. "Yeah, Pincer 2-1, stationed on the RNS _Arcadia_ —one of the last of the old Inquisitor-Class Carriers, got decommissioned two years back. Then we got transferred to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Division, which is the one we're with right now, in this Battlegroup. Alves and Cooper were added not long after, about a year and a half ago, and we sort of became Winter Company's 'crack squad'—we take most of the orders that need a bit more flexibility and finesse than most other jobs." He stopped for a moment to cough, hacking away as he went for his glass of water.

"Ya'll okay there, sarge?" Cooper said, offering to whack Gray's back.

"Yeah, I'm good, Coops. Anyways, that's what we've been doing since. Right now's the most action we've had in a long time, for sure." He looked back at Ybarra, raising an eyebrow. "What about you, Ybarra? What's your deal?"

"Well, I'm space-air force, obviously. Wasn't always an Enlisted Terminal Attack Controller, my first gig was a mechanic for an SI-97 Cardinal Interceptor on the RNS _Vigilance_ herself—lead ship of the Vigilance-Class carriers." He looked up, hands behind his head as he got a reflective look on his face. "Ooh, those interceptors were fucking A, man. Beautiful crafts, could pull a Minimum Radius Turn at nearly three thousand kilos an hour with no problems."

He returned to his original position, smiling as he looked back at the squad. "Ah, but that's a tangent we should avoid. Anyways, I did work on the Cardinal's guns, L13 Basilisk Gauss Chain Cannons, Basilisks or GCCs as we called 'em. Twenty mike-mikes, three thousand rounds per minute. Soon after, though, I was transferred to the Special Space/Air Service, did infantry work for the S slash A force. Got high enough to Tech Sergeant, and now I'm an ETAC. Months later, here I am, with you guys, fucking around in the sandbox." Ybarra laughed at the end of his story, grabbing a spoon and taking a look at his oatmeal. "So, hopefully things go well, with this new war and all. We're fighting two wars now, on two fronts. One out, and one in."

Sergeant Gray set his spoon down, looking over to Ybarra before speaking. "Yeah, I'm sure we'll all come outta' this alive, Techy. Those four-eyes don't seem too much like a challenge to me—I have no doubt we'll be steam-rollin' 'em soon enough."

Ybarra nodded, leaning back in his seat. "Say, Gray—I've noticed you have that slight accent going on—you too, Coops. Where are you guys all from?"

"Oh, I'm from Boston, back on Earth. Had quite the time back there in my youth, played a few sports here and there. Cooper is from the same continent on Earth as well, but he's from a place called Alabama, or something."

Alves went next, setting down his glass of water. "I'm from Cedar II. Simple life, lots of commercial stuff on that planet."

Kevin hesitated for a moment before responding in turn. "I grew up on Rapture, myself."

Ybarra raised an eyebrow, his mouth curling into a smirk. "No shit, Rapture? Military Stronghold, home to the Junior Officer's University? You a brass-kid, Bradley?"

"Yeah, I am. Father is in the army, commanding officer of some regiment or something on Rapture, so he was always close. I actually think he's made it to General by now. Mother was a combat doctor, actually ran with Civil Affairs at some point or another."

"A spook? Heh, that's got to have been interesting."

"Not interesting, so much as boring. She made everything into statistics and shit, was tedious as all hell. Both my parents wanted me to go to JOU or JNOC, become an officer, but I enlisted instead. Sure pissed them off."

"I would expect so. Still, at least we've got you here now, so that's a plus."

Kevin nodded, before turning to Ybarra. "And what about you, Ybarra? Where are you from?"

"Alessia IV, that colony's got a lot of people of Portuguese descent. Small colony, but had a sizeable military presence."

"Nice, nice." Gray responded, standing up with his now empty tray. "Well, I think we've all got to know each other pretty well, 'specially Ybarra here. Breakfast shift ends in about ten mikes, so we've got no time to waste. I've got to split, so I'll see you guys later." He promptly left, leaving his tray by some sort of machine as he went. Gray was quickly followed by the rest of the squad, Cooper, Alves, and Ybarra all leaving of their own accord. Within seconds, Kevin was left alone, with only his muffin as company.

Holding up the muffin, Kevin inspected the breakfast item before mouth turned into a frown. After a moment, he tossed it into a nearby trashcan, before standing up to leave himself. _Next work duty is in sixhours, might as well catch some shut eye before then._

 **Codex**

 **Enforcers**

Because of the military-based nature of the entirety of the UER, it is expected that most civil services are attached to the military. The Emergency Services of the UER are no different, and such positions as Police, Firefighters, and Paramedics are parts of different sections of the UER military. The Enforcers are the Army-based section of the UER Police Force, and are usually stationed on different colonies to maintain order among the populace. Heavily armed and armored, the Enforcers are trained to extreme lengths, and are no simple matter to deal with.

 **ADDENDUM: AUGUST 25** **th** **, 2256**

As of recently, there have been several proposals to add human officials to the Citadel Security force, better known as C-SEC. Such proposals have stated that C-SEC could be positively supplemented by human officers and agents, and many current Enforcers and Sentinels, the Marine Corps and Navy equivalent of the Enforcers, have been selected as possible candidates for a test run.

 **76th Marine Special Operations Division. MARSOC. November Group**

The 76th is one of the UER Marines Corps' special operations groups, and focuses on tight-knit operations on the frontlines of wars and battles to disrupt and destroy enemy and hostile establishments, communications, convoys, etc. They are heavily trained, and exist as a light and mobile infantry-based force, commonly seen as a sister unit to the Special Assault Division. While the SAD utilizes brute force and demolitions to achieve its goals, MARSOC uses other, more subtle means to infiltrate the enemy and destroy the opposition from within.

 **SI-97 Cardinal Interceptor**

16.9 meters long

The UER and RAF's main, favored interceptor, the Cardinal is used to engage and destroy enemy Starfighters in defense of friendly vessels.

Primary: L13 Basilisk Gauss Chain Cannon

Secondary: M412 M-PMs (2 pods, 4 missiles)

Crew: 1, Pilot

Tier 3AV Shields

 **L13 Basilisk Gauss Chain Cannon**

The L13 is the primary example of a medium-weight Space/Air weapon system. The L13 uses a cyclic chain system, similar yet unlike rotary systems, to fire 20mm shells at insanely high speeds, with moderate accuracy. The system is thus best used against other Starfighters.

 **Carrier: Support ship, only contained within large fleets or battlegroups.**

 **Vigilance-Class Carrier: 3,250 meters long, 615 meters wide.**

Ship of the Line: RNS _Vigilance_

Specialty: Support—Carrier

Armaments:

 **Broadsides:** 300 LGCs

 **Missiles:** 2 Raven Missile Pods—1 on each side. 40 missiles each.

 **Point Defense:** 400 60mm Gauss Gatling Rifles

 **Shielding:** 45,000 kilotons

1330 Spacecraft:

600 F-41 Kestrel Space/Air Superiority Fighters

250 B-63 Peregrine Bombers

150 F-51 Zeus Armored Strike Fighter

150 SI-97 Cardinal Interceptors

100 UT-441 Condor Multirole Dropships, with variations

50 AM-31 Redcell Rapid-Reaction Gunships

6,000 Marines—Two Regiments

 **The Special Space/Air Service—SSAS**

The Special Space/Air Service is a subsidiary branch of the UER Space/Air Force and is an infantry/mechanized unit, utilizing light infantry and light armor supported by swarms of close-air support to supplement UER Army and Marine elements in major campaigns. They are seen as a highly trained and elite force, small yet skilled, and can often work independently or co-dependently with other UER ground units.

 **Civil Affairs: Civil Affairs. Zulu Group**

The UER Civil Affairs unit may seem like a mild and relatively harmless Special Forces unit at first, but those who mistake them as such will quickly find themselves dead. Civil Affairs deals with all things civil and civilian during wars and battles, and specialize in civil affairs—winning the "hearts and minds" of their enemies' people. Yet, despite this, they also perform intense reconnaissance and intelligence gathering operations, and may even act as espionage units—at the same time as their civil and aid operations. They are adept in the fields of torture, interrogation, manipulation, and propaganda. The Civil Affairs unit is definitely not to be trifled with, as they are equal parts spooks as they are aid workers and military-civilian connections.

 **Author's Note:**

So, that's that. Hopefully you guys enjoyed that chapter, despite the dearth of action. Tell me what you think—I'm really aiming for solid, enjoyable characters before we eventually reach the Shepard we all know and love. The next update should come between one and three weeks, so I'll see you guys then.

 **Individual Replies:**

OMAC001: We'll see them soon enough, no worries…

Guest 1: Thanks for the heads up, that was fixed some time ago.

Guest 2: Not sure if you're the same guest, but nevertheless… I don't consider what I've done to be "buffing the Council." I've simply adjusted them to match better with the UER—if I had left them alone, then the UER would simply steamroll over anyone and everyone besides the Reapers—that doesn't make for a good story, in my opinion.


	10. Update: The Past, and the Future

Hey, all. I know it's been some time. Well over a year, in fact.

I'm sorry I haven't updated this story in ages. Busy this, busy that… I'm sure none of that is what you are all here for.

I've been meaning to return to this story for a little while, truth be told. I had taken a bit of an… _unexpected_ hiatus, and I think it's time for me to return to this site.

This story is one of the first that I'm looking to begin writing again, but not in this fashion, no. Looking back, I'm much too dissatisfied with too many elements of this story. Too focused on the technicals, that I had forgotten about _story._

Thus, I'll be looking to rewrite this story. From scratch, in all honesty. It won't look too similar in the end, but it'll have many of the same elements. The United Earth Republic, our protagonist Victor Evans and Hans Shepard… except, this time, you'll actually give a damn about them. Or so I hope.

Look for it, sometime in the near future. Until then… I'll be around.

DanishCookie


	11. Update: The Inheritance of Man, Rebooted

Hey, all. How's it going? Hopefully it hasn't been too long since my "Final Update?"

I just wanted to give a heads-up – though this story is cancelled, and marked as "Old," I've since posted the first chapter of "The Inheritance of Man's" reboot. It's titled "The Inheritance of Man: First Contact."

If you're interested, feel free to check it out. Do keep in mind, there are a lot of changes from the original story, but it still remains true to the original.

Thanks, and I hope to see you guys soon,

DanishCookie.


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